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A site for members of the Horde to post their stories seeking beta readers, editing help, brainstorming, and story ideas. Also to share links to potential publishing outlets, writing help sites, and videos posting tips to get published.
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You're making a huge mistake continuing to ignore us like this.
We're asking one last time.
Verify your voter profile ASAP. >> win26.io/le5v2b
It's from "WinRed," and directs to some stupid questionnaire from the NRSC. It is a perfect example of why the Republican Party sucks, and why we will never achieve the electoral success of the Democrats without wholesale changes. And by changes I mean the destruction of the Corporate GOP apparatus and its replacement with rabble-rousing young conservatives who hate the GOPe.
By the way, here is my answer:
Who do you think you are, saying that? Go fuck yourselves
It was interpreted by their system as a request to unsubscribe!
I was hoping for the mounted policeman to chase her down, knock her to the concrete, and let the horse trample her to death.
But I guess an arrest is okay too.
*
*
******
AoSHQ may trigger convulsions and projectile vomiting in some new readers. Please use vomit bag in seat pocket. Knives are to be sheathed at all times unless written waiver is received by our attorneys. Ace and cobloggers specifically disavow all responsibility for content. We are not responsible for any injury, including chafing. Disabling ShowerCamTM is a violation of the terms of use.
She ruled against the Republicans' redistricting map -- giving the Democrats two unearned seats.
She was fucking the Democrat lawyer in the case. She kept it secret and never recused herself.
Utah's governor, Senate president and House speaker are launching an investigation into Supreme Court Justice Diana Hagen and allegations that she had a relationship with an attorney arguing cases before the high court.
Those allegations are detailed in a complaint submitted late last year to both Chief Justice Matthew Durrant and the Judicial Conduct Commission.
The complaint, which was obtained exclusively by KSL through a public records request, came from a Provo-based attorney who said Hagen's ex-husband told him the justice had exchanged "inappropriate" text messages with David Reymann, one of the attorneys involved in a case about redistricting, which led to Utah getting a new congressional map.
Hagen strongly denies allegations of an inappropriate relationship of any kind. Reymann also called the allegations "false." He does outside legal work for KSL and as an attorney for the Utah Media Coalition, of which KSL is a member.
The Judicial Conduct Commission conducted a preliminary investigation into the complaint and interviewed Hagen's ex-husband but ultimately decided not to investigate further. Gov. Spencer Cox, Senate President Stuart Adams and House Speaker Mike Schultz told KSL that's concerning.
"An initial review by the Judicial Conduct Commission and the court left important questions unresolved," they said in a joint statement Thursday. "Allegations of this nature, especially involving public officials, must be examined with transparency and accountability to establish the facts and to maintain public confidence."
They added, "We will move forward with an independent investigation to ensure the facts are fully examined. This process will be conducted objectively and thoroughly, because maintaining trust in our institutions is essential."
What the allegations say
The allegations originally come from Hagen's ex-husband, Tobin Hagen, who said he suspected the justice began having an inappropriate relationship with Reymann, one of the attorneys representing the plaintiffs in the lawsuit over Utah's redistricting maps.
Tobin Hagen allegedly described the circumstances surrounding his divorce proceedings to another attorney, including allegations that Diana Hagen had exchanged text messages with Reymann, which Tobin Hagen said began as "silly" and then became "more suggestive."
The case, League of Women Voters of Utah v. Utah State Legislature, is arguably the highest-profile legal case to reach the Utah Supreme Court in years. The justices issued a unanimous ruling in July 2024 saying lawmakers overreached by changing Proposition 4, an anti-gerrymandering ballot initiative.
Many Republican lawmakers reacted with outrage and promised to continue appealing the case, suggesting it was likely to return to the Supreme Court.
The plaintiffs who sued the Legislature filed an additional complaint in the same case later in 2024, challenging Amendment D -- an effort by lawmakers to give themselves power to overturn ballot initiatives. Hagen wrote the majority opinion upholding a lower court ruling invalidating the amendment which was finalized in October 2024.
Tom Cotterill
@TomCotterillX
🚨EXCLUSIVE🚨
SAS soldiers are resigning in significant numbers over fears they will be subjected to "witch hunts" by human-rights lawyers.
Multiple sources have claimed that personnel from across 22 SAS, the Army's most elite fighting force, have applied for premature voluntary release.
The Telegraph is withholding the exact figure for security reasons. However, several SAS sources have described the recent losses as "significant" and a "threat to national security".
At least two squadrons, D and G, are believed to have been affected, with insiders saying outrage over recent war crime probes into Afghanistan and Syria, which have been branded "witch hunts", are believed to be the main driving forces.
Among those understood to have resigned include several senior warrant officers, who are the backbone of the special forces and among the most experienced troops in the regiment. A number are understood to have applied for release "on principle" just before Christmas.
"Morale is s--t at the moment," one insider with knowledge of the recent losses told me, while another said there was "considerable disquiet" in the regiment as a result.
The SAS resignations are a major blow to the famed special forces unit, which is the tip of the spear in any military operation and is deployed globally.
Overton
@overton_news
Rep. Elise Stefanik just DOG WALKED Jake Tapper on his own show: "This is TYPICAL CNN!"
Tapper tried to claim Trump was calling for genocide against Iran -- Stefanik shut it down instantly.
TAPPER: "Is calling for wiping out an entire civilization bad or good?"
STEFANIK: "Of course it's bad! That is not what he is calling for. He wasn't calling for genocide."
TAPPER: "You're entire civilization will die?"
STEFANIK: "It was targeted toward the Iranian terrorist regime."
TAPPER: "Agree to disagree..."
STEFANIK: "This is typical CNN. This is TYPICAL CNN!"
"If you want to compare the president of the United States to the university presidents who failed to call for the condemnation of calling for the genocide of Jews, that's on you, Jake."
"The world saw how morally equivocating those university presidents were."
"If you want to make that comparison, that's on CNN."
TAPPER: "I'm just asking you if you have the same standard for somebody...?"
STEFANIK: "Of course, genocide is bad across the board, Jake."
"President Trump effectively brought the Iranians to the table."
"He effectively delivered a ceasefire."
"And he is going to effectively deliver peace to the Middle East to stop, frankly, the killing [from] the Iranian terrorist regime, which kills their own people and has created havoc across the Middle East."
Stefanik refused to let CNN twist Trump's words into a genocide narrative.
U.S. Marines depart amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (LHA 7) by helicopter and transit over the Arabian Sea to board and seize M/V Touska. The Marines rappelled onto the Iranian-flagged vessel, April 19, after guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance (DDG 111) disabled Touska’s… pic.twitter.com/mFxI5RzYCS
He got probation for shooting up a car outside a school.
Probation.
The left’s views on guns are totally contradictory. On one hand, they demand strict gun control laws. On the other, their social justice crusade requires not enforcing them.
Amiir Mawlid Ali, 19, has been convicted by a federal jury on machine gun possession while on his way to the Edina High School graduation last year, after Mary Moriarty refused to charge the case.
After Moriarty declined to charge, Ali was arrested two days later during a…
There was a massive DOJ study done decades ago that among people in Federal custody, the single trait career criminals had most in common was that they had all gotten caught as a teenager and the case resolved in a way that left them feeling like they 'got away with it.'
More in common than race, than marital status of parents, than bullying, than presence of a father. It was *the* issue.
Judges are pretty determined that only leftwingers can be defamed.
FBI Director Kash Patel slapped The Atlantic and its reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick with a defamation lawsuit, after the outlet alleged in a report that he has a drinking problem that could pose a threat to national security.
Filed on Monday in the US District Court for the District of Columbia, the lawsuit, which seeks $250 million, claims the magazine's story, initially titled "Kash Patel's Erratic Behavior Could Cost Him His Job," is "categorically false and defamatory."
The Atlantic, which published its exposé on Friday, cited more than two dozen anonymous sources expressing concern at Patel's "conspicuous inebriation and unexplained absences" that "alarmed officials at the FBI and the Department of Justice."
The story -- the title of which now reads, "The FBI Director Is MIA" -- reported that during Patel's tenure, the FBI had to reschedule early meetings "as a result of his alcohol-fueled nights" and that Patel "is often away or unreachable, delaying time-sensitive decisions needed to advance investigations."
"Some of Patel's colleagues at the FBI worry that his personal behavior has become a threat to public safety," the article stated.
The White House, the Department of Justice and Patel denied the allegations to the magazine. The article also quoted Patel as saying, "Print it, all false, I'll see you in court -- bring your checkbook."
A rep for the magazine told The Post on Monday: "We stand by our reporting on Kash Patel, and we will vigorously defend 'The Atlantic' and our journalists against this meritless lawsuit."
Patel's suit alleged that The Atlantic ignored the FBI's denials and did not respond to a Friday letter from his lawyer Jesse Binnall to senior editors and The Atlantic's legal department, asking for more time to refute allegations in 19 questions that Fitzpatrick sent White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt.
The journo's letter was sent shortly before 4 p.m. Friday and the story was published at 6:20 p.m. that day, according to the complaint.
Lawyers for Patel claim that the Atlantic acted with "actual malice" -- a legal standard that requires public figures such as Patel to prove that the magazine publisher knowingly printed false information or recklessly ignored doubts about its accuracy.
"Defendants' conscious decision to ignore the detailed, specific, and substantive refutations in the Pre-Publication Letter, and their refusal to give a reasonable amount of time for the FBI and Director Patel to respond, is among the strongest possible evidence of actual malice," the lawsuit stated.
It sounds like an op, but then, a lot of people in politics drink really hard. Not as hard as "journalists," who tend to be alcoholics and pill-poppers, of course.
Related:
Paul Sperry
@paulsperry_
16h
BREAKING: Newly declassified docs reveal former Washington Post reporter Shane Harris knew the identity of the anonymous impeachment "whistleblower" as early as Sept. 20, 2019, but chose to protect Eric Ciaramella, staying mum despite calling and texting with him; yet the WaPo phoned then-RealClearInvestigations editor Tom Kuntz to complain about RCI reporter Paul Sperry breaking the story exposing Ciaramella's identity and his pro-Biden background, Democrat bias and anti-Trump motives. A known Brennan shill and purveyor of the Russiagate hoax, Harris is now with the faithfully anti-Trump mag The Atlantic.
Greta Thunberg's freedom flotilla, which set sail from Barcelona Sunday for another anti-Israel voyage to Gaza, has been rocked by scandal after one of its woke leaders was accused of "sexual misconduct" with at least three volunteers.
"A senior leader within the flotilla -- a member of the steering committee, the highest governing body of the organization -- engaged in sexual relations with multiple activists while on the boat heading to Gaza. Not one person. Not two. Three different individuals," claimed Palestinian group Heart of Falastin in a social media post earlier this week.
"To do it on the boat, while heading to a nation undergoing genocide, with volunteers who are under your authority . . . is a clear violation of ethics and power."
LOL. People can't have sex while Palestinians are unhappy.
So close to Pride Month, too!
One Brazilian group named the alleged horndog as activist Thiago Avila, in an X post unearthed by media watchdog Honest Reporting and shared with The Post.
"On a ship carrying humanitarian aid, a Brazilian shows up with his d--k swinging and the only thing he manages to do is f--k and get arrested," Anti Esquerda Esquerda Club, a group that describes itself as criticizing the left from the left, wrote on X Tuesday, pointing the finger at Avila -- and referring to the Israeli Navy intercepting the flotilla and taking activists into custody.
The Paolo approves.
...
That tumultuous trip also saw her vessel's radio hacked to pump songs from the Swedish pop group ABBA on full blast in a clear troll at Thunberg.
Well if ABBA's playing, a man just isn't responsible for his actions, is he?
...
Avila, who left his wife and two-year-old daughter at home in Brazil to embark on what is now his fourth sailing trip since June -- having gone twice to Gaza and once to Cuba -- denied the accusations.
"These allegations are obviously not true," he told The Post on WhatsApp Thursday while sailing off the coast of Spain.
"The ethics committee talked to all three people mentioned and they confirmed that this is just a smear campaign, that we are comrades and nothing ever happened," he added, before embarking on a bizarre rant about the Epstein files.
Well I don't really see any "misconduct" here besides the usual practice of left-wing men taking advantage of the loose morals of left-wing women. The fact that Babies Are Dying In Gaza!!1! doesn't make this a crime.
Iran-Linked Group Attacks Synogogue in the UK; Keir Starmer Refuses to Ban the IRGC in Britain
—Disinformation Expert Ace
In fairness, Keir Starmer can't even protect his own properties from arson by strangely-antagonistic gay Ukranian male model rent-boys.
Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis
@chiefrabbi
Last night yet another synagogue, this time in Kenton, was targeted in a cowardly arson attack. It follows the attack in Finchley on Wednesday and the attempted attack on what was the Jewish Futures building in Hendon on Friday night, making three Jewish sites attacked in London in less than a week.
A sustained campaign of violence and intimidation against the Jewish community of the UK is gathering momentum. This sustained attack on our community's ability to worship and live in safety is an attack on the values that bind us all together. Thank God, no lives have been lost, but we cannot, and must not, wait for that to change before we understand just how dangerous this moment is for all of our society.
Arson attempt hits London synagogue; Iran-linked group claims attack
UK Chief Rabbi Mirvis: A 'sustained campaign of violence and intimidation against the Jewish community'; no injuries reported; counter-terror police investigating
Despite the fact that an Iran-linked terror group has already claimed responsibility, UK police are continuing to say they don't know if this is terrorism and (say it with me) The Motive May Never Be Known, Allah-Willing.
A synagogue in northwest London was targeted in an arson attack overnight Sunday, officials said, in the latest in a string of assaults in recent weeks that Britain's chief rabbi called a "sustained campaign of violence and intimidation against the Jewish community."
There was minor smoke damage to a room inside Kenton United Synagogue, the Community Security Trust (CST) said, after police and fire teams were called to the Jewish house of worship.
A pro-Iranian government Islamist group, which says it is also behind a spate of attacks across Europe on US, Israeli and Jewish targets, said on Sunday afternoon that it was responsible for the overnight attack.
UK counter-terrorism police, in the wake of the incident, said they were heading up investigations into the incidents.
...
The newly founded Islamist group Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (HAYI), or Movement of the Companions of the Right Hand of Islam, said in a statement published on Telegram on Sunday afternoon that it had targeted Kenton United Synagogue because it is "one of the centers of Zionist influence in the British capital."
The synagogue, it claimed, "holds ceremonies such as 'Shabbat for Israel,' and sings the so-called 'Hatikvah' anthem in support of the Israeli occupation."
Among other perceived crimes, it said the synagogue had hosted relatives of one of the hostage soldiers abducted by Hamas in the terror group's October 7, 2023, attack.
Identifying the synagogue's leadership by name, the group accused them of being "key instruments of this Zionist base in London."
Separately, the UK’s The Sunday Times said the Islamist group has also claimed responsibility for a Friday night arson attack on a London building that was formerly used by a Jewish organization.
The IRGC murdered tens of thousands of people worldwide, but Keir Starmer refuses to recognise it as a terrorist organisation because he fears being called an “Islamophobe” and losing Muslim votes. https://t.co/Qf4OLQ7vUA
Eric Swalwell Charged 100 Big Booze Deliveries to His Campaign, as Well as Vegas Trips
—Disinformation Expert Ace
Disgraced ex-congressman Eric Swalwell -- who is accused of raping and sexually assaulting multiple women after nights of heavy drinking -- billed an eye-watering amount of booze deliveries to his campaigns, including charges during a series of jaunts to Las Vegas.
Over a four-year period starting in 2020, Swalwell's donor-funded congressional campaigns recorded more than 100 separate charges with now-defunct alcohol delivery company Drizly, according to federal campaign disclosures -- purchases that even caught his team off guard.
While the ex-congressman's boozy campaign spending could be legal, "it might not be the best use of donor money," Swalwell's former chief of staff Alex Evans told the California Post.
"He knew exactly what he was doing."
Swalwell's Drizly spending alone accounted for roughly a quarter of all payments to the service from various candidates' campaigns, political committees and PACs since 2019, according to the Federal Election Commission.
Campaign records show that his tab -- totaling roughly $6,100 -- also overlapped with him curiously taking multiple trips to Las Vegas in the summer of 2021.
In July of that year, Swalwell racked up thousands of dollars in charges for hotel stays at the Cosmopolitan Las Vegas, a five-star hotel and casino. Swalwell appears to have visited the Cosmopolitan three times over a 10-day period that month -- on July 9, 12 and 19.
Wasn't this during the lockdown? I mean, the lockdown of citizens, while the would-be aristocrat class dined at the French Laundry?
During that period, he made several purchases from Drizly while also billing his campaign for a $117.54 charge at STK Steakhouse and a $439.57 bill at Jean Georges Steakhouse at Aria. Charges continued through July 19, including a $940.01 transaction at the Cosmopolitan, bringing the total cost of his time in Vegas over 10 days to more than $3,100.
Drizly was folded into Uber Eats in early 2024, and records show Swalwell's congressional campaigns continued to use the Uber Eats food and drink delivery app more than 220 times after Drizly shut down, including as recently as this year. The charges, which don't detail whether the purchases were for food and/or alcohol, totaled more than $19,000.
NEW: Feds arrest an Iranian woman last night at LAX right before she was about to get on a flight to Turkey. Shamim Mafi is accused of brokering Iranian bombs, weapons, drones and ammunition to Sedan.
THE MORNING RANT: State of Texas Cutting off Funds to Houston after it Revives Sanctuary City Policies
—Buck Throckmorton
Red states do not have to tolerate their blue cities operating in a state of rebellion. Governor Greg Abbott of Texas deserves praise for imposing punitive consequences on the city of Houston for deciding to defy state law regarding cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
To help criminal non-citizens avoid being deported, the Houston City Council recently passed an ordinance that prohibits its police from holding a person with an immigration warrant if that person is involved in a police action. This reverses the previous Houston policy which sought to provide a bare minimum level of compliance with federal immigration law. Previously, if police interacted with a person with an immigration warrant, ICE would be called and was given 30 minutes to arrive and take custody. This new policy instructs police to release the person without even giving ICE a chance to arrive.
Houston City Council passed an ordinance Wednesday redefining the boundaries of its police department’s interactions with federal immigration authorities, a move that critics are calling a de facto sanctuary city policy in violation of state law. Approved in a 12-5 vote, the ordinance eliminates the previous requirement that Houston Police Department officers hold individuals up to 30 minutes to allow ICE agents time to respond to the scene. Under the new policy, a routine stop ends when the original lawful reason for the stop ends.
After voting in favor of Houston’s new sanctuary city policies, Houston’s mayor, John Whitmire, prevaricated that “I’ve always been clear: Houston follows local and state law. We are not ICE, and we do not enforce federal immigration law. Today, I joined a majority of City Council to pass a sensitive ordinance on immigration procedures.”
In an act of amazing political cowardice, Houston Mayor John Whitmire voted for the new ordinance, out of fear of the Democrats’ far-left base, but then he immediately started advocating to reverse the ordinance he just voted for because of its consequences, which puts Whitmire in a civil and criminal bind for defying state law.
In 2017, the state of Texas passed “Senate Bill 4” into law. This law requires local officials to comply with federal immigration authorities and to honor federal detainer requests from ICE. It also provides for civil and criminal penalties for officials who violate this law, including their removal from office and fines of up to $25,000 per day for rogue officials.
Greg Abbott moved swiftly to put down the insurrection in Houston, advising that the state was cutting off funding that would cripple the city. On April 13 the governor sent a letter to Whitmire advising him that his actions constituted a breach of Whitmire’s certification under the laws of the state, and that revocation of $110 million of grants from the state to the city must be repaid if the city remains in defiance of the law.
That got Whitmire’s attention. The mayor quickly released a statement stating that, “This is a crisis situation. The potential loss of state funding poses real challenges for the Houston Police and Fire Departments and will impact public safety services across our city.” Despite having voted for the ordinance himself, Whitmire pointed his finger at fellow council members, stating, “I repeatedly warned the ordinance sponsors, Council Members Salinas, Kamin, and Pollard about the legal and financial risks associated with this approach.”
The city of Houston is on the clock to repeal their ordinance. I kind of hope they don’t. I’m ready for the state of Texas to reel in rebellious, pro-crime municipalities. De-funding rogue cities is a nice start, but I’d argue that so long as these blue cities (including Dallas and Austin) remain pro-crime and anti-immigration enforcement, their city charters should also revoked. Those neighborhoods not supporting insurrection can be re-incorporated as new entities. Those areas that remain in rebellion should be denied self-governance until reconstructed.
Below the fold are Mayor Whitmire’s “This is a crisis situation” letter, as well as a tweet from Governor Abbott about the situation.
The USS Spruance destroyer intercepted Iran’s Touska cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman, taking custody of the ship after it refused warnings to stop, according to the president.
Talk of a “grand bargain” with Iran revives a failed playbook of concessions and deception that history shows only strengthens Tehran’s regime. . . Here’s what you need to know. . .When the Iranian regime hears the term “grand bargain,” they begin to salivate. It’s better than hot mint tea after a day-long forced march in the Great Salt Desert.To them, it means they will survive. Even better, they will have succeeded in suckering those stupid Americans once again into a very bad deal.
Still, the prospect of an Iranian A-bomb or a nuclear arsenal replete with the long range missiles to deliver them to any sane person was and remains completely intolerable. A little pain at the pump or watching your children die of radiation sickness until your own eyes melt like the Nazi. Trump gets it.
During a recent livestream, Piker declared that “if you cared about Medicare fraud or Medicaid fraud, you would kill Rick Scott.” Scott (R-Fla.) has since pushed for Yale University to lose funding for allowing Piker to speak at an event. “He wants me killed. He wants every capitalist murdered,” Scott bemoaned matter-of-factly on “Fox News Sunday.” “He said that we deserve 9/11. He’s clearly antisemitic. Democrats are campaigning with this guy.” “The Democrat Party supports this stuff,” he added. “Yale, if they want to go support somebody that wants to be a capitalist murdered in this country, right, so I don’t want them to get any federal funding. I mean, it’s pretty simple to me. They shouldn’t be doing this.”
Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) was in Spain this weekend for some reason, trashing the United States as being in the midst of a crisis, claiming that Trump is trying to take over our democracy, calling him a totalitarian, and on and on.Murphy reminds me a lot of Senator Elizabeth Warren. Like Warren, Murphy has not dialed down his insane anti-Trump rhetoric below eleven even once since the 2024 election. It makes me think he is planning a 2028 run for president, not because he thinks he can win, but because he wants a position in the next Democrat administration, or a job in media.This performance, and it is a performance, is a total disgrace.
Pedro Sanchez’s anti-American crusade exposes a deeper truth: the global Left’s ideology remains rooted in recycled Marxism, repackaged through expediency and contradiction.
Ah yes, Murphy does the "Dirty Sanchez" smearing his own country in a foreign capital during a time of war.
It really is us or them. Something's got to give, and if push comes to shove, it's not going to be me.
Progressivism seeks to replace the basic premises of the Declaration of Independence and hence our form of government. It holds that our rights and our dignities come not from God but from government. It requires of the people a subservience and weakness incompatible with a constitution premised on the transcendent origin of our rights.
It is unfortunately rare these days to hear any public figure describe the threats of “progressivism” so clearly.
Have a great day!
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Roger Kimball : As media hype falters and globalists posture, Trump’s campaign to secure the world’s chokepoints reshapes power—and leaves Iran and its allies with little leverage left. The Geopolitics of Epic Fury
Talk of a “grand bargain” with Iran revives a failed playbook of concessions and deception that history shows only strengthens Tehran’s regime. The Perils of a Grand Bargain with Iran
Trump’s campaign broke Iran’s regional power and triggered a sweeping realignment of global alliances and U.S. strategic leverage. President Trump: Mission Accomplished
Iran and Washington claim victory over the Strait of Hormuz, but contradictory signals suggest the chokepoint remains contested, fragile, and far from settled. No, Iran Isn’t Being Honest about Opening the Strait
During a recent livestream, Piker declared that “if you cared about Medicare fraud or Medicaid fraud, you would kill Rick Scott.” Scott (R-Fla.) has since pushed for Yale University to lose funding for allowing Piker to speak at an event. “He wants me killed. He wants every capitalist murdered,” Scott bemoaned matter-of-factly on “Fox News Sunday.” “He said that we deserve 9/11. He’s clearly antisemitic. Democrats are campaigning with this guy.” “The Democrat Party supports this stuff,” he added. “Yale, if they want to go support somebody that wants to be a capitalist murdered in this country, right, so I don’t want them to get any federal funding. I mean, it’s pretty simple to me. They shouldn’t be doing this.” Sen. Rick Scott rips Hasan Piker’s call to kill him: ‘This is the Democrat Party’
How liberalism loses any connection with its historical principles and comes exclusively to represent the perpetual exaltation of the expert classes and their sundry social projects. How Liberalism Inevitably Turns to Managerialism (meh, it turns into Mass graves for its enemies - jjs)
“Let’s talk about ICE. You just referenced ICE. In the midst of the government shutdown, President Trump deployed ICE agents to airports across America including right here in New York. In the wake of that, former Trump chief strategist Steve Bannon suggested that there could be a test run for sending ICE to polling places in the midterms. What will you do if ICE agents show up to polling places in the midterm elections?” Mamdani: NYC Will Oppose ‘Cruel and Inhumane’ ICE Agents at Polling Places
The Pew Research Center revealed some 320,000 of the 3.6 million babies born in the U.S. that year were so called “anchor babies” who would not qualify for birthright citizenship if President Donald Trump’s executive order is upheld by the Supreme Court. Report: Nearly 10% of Babies Born In the U.S. Under Biden Junta Were ‘Anchor Babies’
Gill said, “I think the reality is that there’s a really strong cheap labor lobby in Washington, where you have all kinds of business groups and trade organizations who hire really fancy lobbyists and they come in and they sit down with congressmen and they explain if I don’t have infinity Haitian illegal aliens, then my nursing home or my medical system is going to collapse in your district. And, for some reason, we’ve got too many members who hear that and do not think critically about it and just buy it at face value.” Exclusive — Rep. Brandon Gill: ‘Cheap Labor Lobby’ in D.C. Trying to Import ‘Infinity Haitian Illegal Aliens’
“In theory, it’s two or three, they tell me — if you just read statistics — it could be two, could be three, could be one. I don’t know. I’m prepared to do it.” Alito, Thomas Plan to Stay on Supreme Court
According to the Community Security Trust (CST), Britain’s leading private Jewish security organisation, the Kenton United Synagogue in Harrow suffered minor damage in an apparent arson attack. The Campaign Against Antisemitism said that the attack was the third in as many days, and came in the wake of attacks against Jewish institutions in Finchley, Golders Green and Hendon. Fortunately, there were no injuries or significant damage reported in the latest incident on Saturday. North London Synagogue ‘Firebombed’ in Latest Anti-Jewish Attack in Britain
s becoming safer thanks to the decline in violent crimes. The changes in prosecution and law enforcement presence, driven by the Trump administration, have created a significantly more hostile environment for criminals than in previous years, potentially deterring future offenses. However, while the number of homicides is trending down significantly, there has been a surge in killings in recent days, attributed to “interpersonal violence between groups of individuals” by law enforcement, suggesting there is still work to do to make the U.S. capital safer. D.C. Sees Plunge in Murders, Carjackings, Under Tough-on-Crime Regime.
RED-GREENS, CLIMATE CHANGE HOAX, DEMOCRAT-LEFT WAR ON FOSSIL FUELS,
By ignoring all the bright thinkers and conventional analyses the President’s genius strategy has placed us in the driver’s seat. We are now the world’s top source of oil and gas and control major distribution flows of petro supplies from around the world. Petroleum Rules the World: We Control Most of It
John Stossel: “There should be no regulations?” I ask. “A background check for a day-care provider is a reasonable requirement, but other than that, I think we really should be trusting parents, not government, to make the decision on what makes sense for their child . . . . Parents, not government, care the most about kids.” ‘Free’ day care isn’t what you think it is
“We are going to be making arrests, and it's coming, and I promise you, it's coming soon," Patel said.That's not a vague promise from a bureaucrat hedging his bets. That's the sitting FBI director going on record, on camera, with a direct commitment to the American people that we’re finally going to see some accountability over the shenanigans that took place during the 2020 elections. (Lowest of low-level flunkies or else a lot of hot air - jjs) Kash Patel Makes Bombshell Promise: Arrests Are Coming Over 2020 Election
The Trump administration has sued multiple states for failing to turn over voter rolls to the Department of Justice, which is seeking to ensure compliance with the National Voter Registration Act, the Help America Vote Act, and other federal laws aimed at protecting the right to vote. Dhillon told Bartiromo that, even in states trying to comply with the laws, issues concerning voting eligibility were still being identified. DOJ’s Harmeet Dhillon Details Just How Much A ‘Mess’ Voter Rolls Are
DEMOCRAT/LEFTIST AND RINO SCANDALS, MESHUGAS, CHUTZPOCRISY, INSANITY
...President Donald Trump embarked on a two-day swing through Nevada and Arizona, two critical purple states that could determine Republican fortunes in November. While initially billed as part of his year-long domestic tour addressing the affordability crisis, this trip carried a markedly different energy: a forceful, optimistic rallying cry for Republicans to “Build The Red Wall” in 2026. EXCLUSIVE: Inside Trump’s Pivot To Try Saving The Midterms
Pedro Sanchez’s anti-American crusade exposes a deeper truth: the global Left’s ideology remains rooted in recycled Marxism, repackaged through expediency and contradiction. Sanchez, Lenin, and Global Opposition to Trump ( "Dirty Sanchez" - jjs)
As China rails about “provocations” while running its own warships, trawlers, and air drills around its neighbors, Tokyo is signaling that the era of passively absorbing communist bullying in the Western Pacific may be drawing to a close Japanese Destroyer Transit through Taiwan Strait Rattles China.
The amnesty has sparked a political firestorm, with conservative and populist parties accusing the government of using it as “electoral engineering” to secure future votes. The right-wing populist VOX party has also vowed to challenge it in the country’s Supreme Court, with party leader Santiago Abascal warning Sanchez, “The Spanish people have not given permission for this… Sooner rather than later you will have to pay for it.” Spanish Consulates Flooded by Thousands of Migrants After Socialist Govt Announces Mass Amnesty.
ISRAEL vs IRAN & GAZA/HAMAS, HEZBOLLAH . . . AND LEFTISTS
She’s a woman who has repeatedly changed her values without explanation and has some nasty political friends in her background.
It’s Time To Replace DNI Tulsi Gabbard
Hastings leaves as Netflix appears to be on course to increase its prices to as much as $40 a month by the 2030s, with writers, actors, and directors facing lower pay and eroding residuals. Against this backdrop, its failure to acquire Warner Bros., which could have left it with a market share of over 45 percent, was widely regarded as an antitrust victory. Netflix Co-Founder Reed Hastings Stepping Down After Almost Three Decades.
ALSO: The Morning Report cross-posts at CutJibNewsletter.com usually within an hour or so of posting here, if you want to continue the conversation all day.
16GB is the new 128GB, and you might as well get used to it:
Nikkei says that production would need to increase by 12 percent a year in 2026 and 2027 to meet demand. But according to Counterpoint Research, an increase of only 7.5 percent is planned.
That's bad enough - projected growth will only fall further behind demand. But it gets worse:
The new facilities will primarily focus on producing high-bandwidth memory (HBM), which is used in AI data centers. With the companies already prioritizing HBM over general-purpose DRAM used in computers and phones, it's not clear how much these new fabs will help alleviate the price crunch facing consumer electronics.
But it gets worser: HBM memory is stacked vertically just like AMD's 3D-Vcache. And exactly like AMD's 3D-Vcache it uses TSVs - though-silicon vias - to transfer the signals between the layers.
And those TSVs take up about half the space on HBM chips, meaning the factories need to churn out twice as many wafers for the same amount of memory, when they already can't produce enough.
Apparently Context.ai was hacked, which let the hackers compromise a Vercel employee's Google Workspace account, which allowed them to hack Vercel itself.
This is what's known as a "supply chain" attack: If the target is too well secured, find something they use that isn't, and attack there instead.
It's an adaptor for a single M.2 SSD that plugs into the slot and lies completely flat, which should probably not interfere with your video card. Maybe. Possibly.
Sunday Overnight Open Thread - April 19, 2026 [Doof]
—Open Blogger
Howdy Hordelings! Thank for stopping by for the Sunday night ONT. Somewhat in the style of one of Ace's weekday Cafe threads tonight. Open thread, as always. Fashion and music, as always. What's on YOUR mind tonight?
He was complained to the administration that he drinks tea all day and does not work. Thereupon, the security cameras were examined and he was given a salary bonus. pic.twitter.com/ZmHNIGrrcp
It's that time of the week - when we turn the ONT over to our good friend Piper for a bit. Here's this week's fashion pr0n.
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Enchanted Garden Glam: Bettina Anderson’s Mar-a-Lago Bridal Shower Blooms with Spring Florals and Fabulousness
Palm Beach’s legendary Mar-a-Lago estate transformed into a dreamy Enchanted Garden for Bettina Anderson’s bridal shower, celebrating her upcoming wedding to Don Jr. The whole affair was bursting with romantic spring florals and elegant vibes.
How Bettina captured Don’s heart might come with a dash of tabloid scandal, but we’re fully embracing the playful spirit of those “Love Trumps All” cookies that were served. We are also ignoring the potential double entendres of this messaging.
Anyway, Bettina Anderson looked every inch the radiant bride-to-be in a bespoke Safiyaa Agyness dress. The good news? The ready-to-wear version is still available on the Safiyaa site for $2,460—and it’s just as stunning.
She paired it with a delicate Dior Small Lady Dior bag in Latte Cannage calfskin, plus a touch of sparkle from Manolo Blahnik Hangisli satin jewel-buckle slingback pumps in white.
For a more budget-friendly option with the same flattering silhouette, try the blue floral midi dress by Mac Duggal—yours for $498 at Nordstrom.
Ivanka Trump brought sophisticated charm in a Zimmermann Alchemy Paisley structured linen and silk organza midi dress in a soft pale pink. It’s still available in limited sizes at Nordstrom for $1,950. She finished the look with what appeared to be a classic brown Hermès Kelly bag.
Want a similar corset-to-fit-and-flare vibe without the splurge? The Hutch Amara Corset Pleated Tulle Fit & Flare Midi Dress at Anthropologie is a winner at $348.
Tiffany Trump leaned into delicate romance with the Duchess The Label Dahlia Dress in a dreamy Powder shade. It’s still available… but you might need to hop on a flight to the Philippines to snag it.
A lovely stateside alternative: the As It May Samara Lace Midi Dress at Nordstrom for $595.
Laura Trump went bold and vibrant in a teal-and-pink floral shirt dress from The Westside. Sourcing this one may require a detour to India or Dubai, so consider the fun Alice + Olivia Lucy Sleeveless Mini Shirtdress as a breezy stand-in for $465 at Saks.
And stealing the “sweetest guest” award: Arabella Kushner (Ivanka’s 14-year-old daughter) looked perfectly age-appropriate and adorable in the Zimmermann The Wylie Picnic Dress in Blue Palm from the Resort 2025 collection, originally $850, now sold out.
For a similar tropical ruffled charm that’s actually in stock, Dillard’s has the Mestiza New York Torero Tropical Palm Toile Print square-neck tiered ruffled maxi dress for $595.
With this dreamy kickoff, anticipation is high for the wedding itself!
DJ Doof - This Date in Music History Edition
from thisdayinmusic.com
On this date in 2021: Jim Steinman, the celebrated songwriter, pianist, and producer, who rose to fame masterminding Meatloaf’s iconic 1977 Bat Out Of Hell album, died at the age of 73.
On this date in 2012: Greg Ham the multi-instrumentalist with the band Men At Work, died of a heart attack at his home in Melbourne, Australia age 58.
Born on this date in 1947: American guitarist Mark Volman, from The Turtles
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Tonight's ONT brought to you by road trip preparedness
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Doof Enterprises, LLC hopes you enjoyed tonight's ONT. Double your money back if not!
Your feedback may or may not be very important to Doof Enterprises. Follow Mr. Doof on X @doof2112 or do the email thing – doof2112 at proton dot me.
Howdy, Y'all! Welcome to the wondrously fabulous Gun Thread! As always, I want to thank all of our regulars for being here week in and week out, and also offer a bigly Gun Thread welcome to any newcomers who may be joining us tonight. Howdy and thank you for stopping by! I hope you find our wacky conversation on the subject of guns 'n shooting both enjoyable and informative. You are always welcome to lurk in the shadows of shame, but I'd like to invite you to jump into the conversation, say howdy, and tell us what kind of shooting you like to do!
Holy Shitballs! How in the ever-loving hell did it get to be the Post Tax Day Edition?
Q: Weasel, should we ask you about taxes?
A: No. Still in a bad mood. Ask again in about 25 years.
With that, step into the dojo and let's get to the gun stuff below, shall we?
When your ol' pal Weasel goes to the range, I take what I assume is the usual stuff; one or maybe two guns, 50-100 rounds of ammo, and targets. But what about other stuff? I'm talking about the stuff that just lives in the range bag in case it's needed someday? In this category I count a stapler, staples and a Sharpie for the targets, a small thing of gun oil/lube, a rag or two, and a very small assortment of tools (e.g. a small screwdriver). Also a few Band-Aids and a blood clotting bandage, just in case. Finally, a small notebook and pen or pencil for range-babe phone numbers. I have one range bag for pistols and a slightly larger one trips to the rifle range which contains different stuff.
What am I leaving out? What do you take in addition to these basics?
Also, as long as we're discussing range bags, what kind do you use? After years of trying different setups, I settled on Competitive Edge Dynamics bags. They are very well made and durable, surviving hundreds and hundreds of range trips and matches all over the country and they have great features. The design has changed a little over the years, but it's essentially the same as the ones I purchased some time ago. Here is a link to something similar from Midway USA at about the same price point.
Any other range bag recommendations?
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AR-18 and AR-180
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Barrel Relining
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This is Pretty Dang Cool
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What the Hell Is a Computer?
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Our Pal Industrial Ventilation
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NoVaMoMe 2026
What - you thought there wasn't going to be a NoVaMoMe in 2026?
Note: One of the great joys of NoVAMoMe season, at least for me, is being able to cut and paste the entire block of text below and haranguing you to attend the event. Are you attending? Are you focusing on the fundamentals of attending?
Alright, guys and gals, the long awaited and highly anticipated details of the 2026 NoVAMoMe are here! That's right, I finally got my act together and updated the information page for 2026, and need to go over a few details. First, the date is June 20th, 2026 from 11am to 3pm. Nextly, my bestest blog buddy bluebell and I have decided 2026 will continue the longstanding tradition of NoVAMoMe simplification, and want to pass along the changes from prior years.
First, no registration and no advance charge for food. If you would like to attend, send an email to WeaselBell Productions, and let us know. You will be directed to a sekrit webpage with all of the details. We do ask once you have decided to attend to let us know so we can coordinate an expected count with venue management. Once there if you are hungry or thirsty simply order from the onsite menu and pay separately. Cash and credit cards accepted. Next, although fun, we have decided to again take a break from the raffles and mug sales this year. Depending on how it goes, that may be something we bring back in future years. While your generosity is always appreciated, with no prize table, please leave donations and contributions at home, but bring your appetite for a great afternoon spent with your imaginary online friends.
Next, a NoVAMoMe PSA from our pal bluebell
Hi folks - just a quick PSA. If you write for info about the MoMe, please give us a few words in the body of the email just so I know you are a Moron and not a spammer (moron). I do receive spam on this email account because it's sitting right here in my nic, so that's why I'm asking. I don't want to give our details to a spammer. Also, remember to check your spam folder if you don't receive a reply email.
Thanks.
bluebell
Seriously, just send an email then go to the website with the password provided. If you forget, a link to the email is on the main page, left sidebar. If you do not sign up, bluebell will be disappointed. Weasel will be disappointed, too, but it's bluebell you need to worry about.
I ask you - who doesn't like a good Fire Maiden from outer space?
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Here are some different online cigar vendors. You will find they not only carry different brands and different lines from those brands, but also varying selections of vitolas (sizes/shapes) of given lines. It's good to have options, especially if you're looking for a specific cigar.
A note about sources. The brick & mortar/online divide exists with cigars, as with guns, and most consumer products, with respect to price. As with guns - since both are "persecuted industries", basically - I make a conscious effort to source at least some of my cigars from my local store(s). It's a small thing, but the brick & mortar segment for both guns and tobacco are precious, and worth supporting where you can. And if you're lucky enough to have a good cigar store/lounge available, they're often a good social event with many dangerous people of the sort who own scary gunz, or read smart military blogs like this one. -rhomboid
Anyone have others to include? Perhaps a small local roller who makes a cigar you like? Send me your recommendation and a link to the site!
Please note the new and improved protonmail account gunthread at protonmail dot com. An informal Gun Thread archive can be found HERE. Future expansion plans are in the works for the site Weasel Gun Thread. If you have a question you would like to ask Gun Thread Staff offline, just send us a note and we'll do our best to answer. If you care to share the story of your favorite firearm, send a picture with your nic and tell us what you sadly lost in the tragic canoe accident. If you would like to remain completely anonymous, just say so. Lurkers are always welcome!
That's it for this week - have you been to the range?
Food Thread: Oatmeal Venison Cookies...The Best Of Both Worlds?
—CBD
That is the vegetable platter served at a rather good Sunday Roast last week. The selection was delicious, and just enough of each food to entice, but not enough to seem as if we had to eat our vegetables before dessert or we wouldn't get any!
The carrots and parsnips (?) were roasted very simply, and as our waiter pointed out, they tasted good because the cook used a ton of butter. And this was said with pride! Which suggests that maybe the United Kingdom still does have a bit of life in her!
That cabbage medley was also damned good, in part of course because there is bacon in it, but also pretty good fresh green peas. Even those dark leafy greens (Kale?) were good.
Look, I'm not an evangelist for vegetables. I consider them a pleasant counterpoint to meat, but not the focus of the meal. But that doesn't mean they have to be tasteless.
And this was my main course. That strange looking thing sitting on top of the pork belly is the skin of the belly that was wrapped into a cylinder and roasted on high heat until it got incredibly crisp. It was ridiculously crunchy, and ridiculously tasty. The pork belly was good too, but a bit dry, which was sad. I'm still broken up about it, but I tried to drown my sorrows with lots of good English cask ale. And I mostly succeeded!
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I usually order venison when I see it on a menu, and while I love the stuff, it is often long on promise and short on delivery.
Not this though! Apologies for the crappy photo, because it really looked good! That's a blob of some sort of compound butter that was very, very rich, and very, very tasty. The red things that look like warts are crispy garlic with some sort of pepper. Yup, it was a spicy dish, but not out of balance for people who enjoy some heat.
But the star of the dish -- the venison -- was amazing! tender and flavorful, with just enough of the wild game flavor without any of the gameyness that can detract from venison. I did not expect to enjoy the combination of heat and venison, but it worked, and is a testament to the inventiveness of the chefs.
Sorry about the crappy photography. I don't like to use the flash in restaurants. It pisses me off when some idiot does it at the table next to me, so I should be consistent and not be an asshole to everyone else in the restaurant.
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I absolutely love the idea of fried pickles, and what's not to love? Pickles are great. Fried things are great. Add them together and we get double the greatness...right?
But life is sometimes not fair, and this is an example of that. Hell, this recipe for Stuffed Fried Pickles adds cheese! How bad could it be?
Pretty bad. I have been burned enough by the whole "Fried Pickle Tease" that I just move on when I see this sort of stuff.
Anyone have good luck with frying pickles?
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I just had a bit of a superb oatmeal-cranberry cookie. For breakfast. With my coffee.
Damn...it was fantastic. Much better than the standard Quaker Oats recipe, which always leaves me just a bit disappointed. The oats are too evident, which suggests that using cooked oats or even soaked raw oats might be the way to go.
Obviously there is a lot of butter in that recipe, and they look good, but the Platonic Ideal in Dildo-World is a thicker, cakier cookie.
Yeah...I'm just free-associating. So sue me!
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The garlic is busily growing, with pretty impressive green shoots that are pushing a foot tall! Just high enough for the deer to eat, or those vile rodents with bushy tails and a penchant for damaging my home. But if they survive the deer and squirrel apocalypse, and actually grow into something edible, I will be in garlic heaven! In case it doesn't, send all of your excellent home-grown garlic to: cbd dot aoshq at gmail dot com.
Rumor has it that the Bourbon Bubble is bursting. I have seen no evidence of decreasing prices, but maybe the bursting started somewhere else! I think the sweet spot is $40-$60 for excellent and interesting bottles, and bumping that to $100 gets you an incremental improvement in quality, but nothing mind-blowing. More than that and I think you are paying for hype and rarity, which may look good in your liquor cabinet, but doesn't translate to more quality in the bottle.
The problem...or the solution...is to buy lots of bourbon, take tasting notes, and eventually arrive at your favorites! It should take forty or fifty years, but it is worth it!
Apparently the demand for candy for trick-or-treaters drops off markedly beginning the late evening of October 31st.
Not that we got any...the trend in our town is for street parties and organized events, which is, I believe, a sure sign of the profound degradation of our culture.
But what to do with the leftover candy? I am far too cheap to discard it, but it isn't getting any better, especially since it was milk chocolate to begin with, which is a pale and sad simulacrum of the only chocolate that counts: dark chocolate!
Islam Never Takes Its Eyes Off The Prize, And That Prize Is Our Destruction
—CBD
Islam is predicated on the goal of world domination: the creation of a worldwide caliphate. Lest you think that is simply one religious government controlling all Muslims, the reality is that the existence of non-Muslims is an affront to Islam, and the conversion or destruction of all non-Muslims is implicit.
Taqiyya is the Islamic concept of lying in furtherance of the goals of Islam. Concealing the goals of Islam, whether it is cheating a non-Muslim in a business deal, or hiding a nuclear weapons program, is entirely appropriate, and is considered a legitimate tactic.
So the earnest and honest Westerners who negotiate with Iran from a position of overwhelming strength will be confronted with lies and subterfuge, because the goals of the Iranian negotiators have nothing to do with improving the current situation, and everything to do with furthering the goals of Islam...the domination and destruction of the West.
President Donald Trump said on Sunday that U.S. representatives will arrive in Pakistan on Monday evening in preparation for negotiations with Iran.
Trump made the announcement on his Truth Social media account and said that Iran had violated a ceasefire agreement by firing shots Saturday aimed at a French ship and freighter from the United Kingdom in the Strait of Hormuz.
“Iran recently announced that they were closing the Strait, which is strange, because our blockade has already closed it. They’re helping us without knowing, and they are the ones that lose with the closed passage, $500 Million Dollars a day!” Trump posted Sunday.
Trump warned that if Iran does not agree to a deal, the United States could target key infrastructure.
“The United States is going to knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran,” he wrote on Truth Social.
“If they don’t take the deal, it will be my Honor to do what has to be done.”
Luckily, President Trump is far more aware of the negotiating tactics of the Iranians, but the only measure of success will be actual changes in Iran and in its terrorist proxies across the world. The words spouted by the various Iranian factions that claim to be in charge are meaningless.
And those Pakistani generals are also part of the drive for a worldwide caliphate and cannot be trusted...at all.
But the current situation is vastly different than the previous 47 years of lies that have emerged from Tehran. As Mike Tyson famously said: "everyone has a plan -- until they get punched in the face."
And Iran has gotten punched in the face for the very first time. Their tried-and-true playbook for dealing with the weak-kneed West has been tossed out, because President Trump decided that 47 years of lies was enough. They simply don't know what to do, and that is the true value of the President's strategy.
The President has stayed focused on a very simple goal...Iran can never have nuclear weapons. That is laudable, and future generations will look back and realize that he has created the conditions necessary for a fundamental realignment in the Middle East, and far more important, he has protected the world from Iran's apocalyptic visions.
Sunday Morning Book Thread - 4-19-2026 ["Perfessor" Squirrel]
—Open Blogger
Welcome to the prestigious, internationally acclaimed, stately, and illustrious Sunday Morning Book Thread! The place where all readers are welcome, regardless of whatever guilty pleasure we feel like reading. Here is where we can discuss, argue, bicker, quibble, consider, debate, confabulate, converse, and jaw about our latest fancy in reading material. As always, pants are required, unless you are wearing these pants...
So relax, find yourself a warm kitty (or warm puppy--I won't judge) to curl up in your lap, and dive into a new book. What are YOU reading this fine morning?
While it wasn't the largest library of antiquity, the so-called "Villa of the Papyri" is the only one whose collection has survived to the present day. Its roughly 1,800 scrolls were located in the Roman city of Herculaneum in a villa that was most likely built by Julius Caesar's father-in-law, Lucius Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus.
When nearby Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 A.D., the library was buried—and exquisitely preserved—under a 90-foot layer of volcanic material. Its blackened, carbonized scrolls weren't rediscovered until the 18th century, and modern researchers have since used everything from multispectral imaging to X-rays to try to read them. Much of the catalog has yet to be deciphered, but studies have already revealed that the library contains several texts by an Epicurean philosopher and poet named Philodemus.
According to TVTropes.org, "Growing the Beard" is when a series shows a significant improvement in quality over time. The term itself derives from Season 3 of Star Trek: The Next Generation, when Commander William Riker grew a beard. The episodes of Season 3 and onwards tend to be much better written compared to Seasons 1 and 2, according to most fans.
However, "Growing the Beard" is not limited to television series. It can apply to novels just as easily. As y'all know, I read A LOT of books that are part of a series (see below), so I'm quite familiar with this trope from a literary standpoint. I can think of several notable examples of when a series "grew the beard" and become much, much better overall:
The Shannara Series by Terry Brooks -- The Sword of Shannara is rightly derided as a cut-and-paste clone of Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. He admits as much in The Annotated Sword of Shannara. Taken on its own merits, Sword isn't a bad novel, but it does suffer quite a bit by being so derivative of a much better story written by a much better author. However, the success of Sword gave Brooks enough creative leeway to forge a much different path in the first sequel to Sword: The Elfstones of Shannara. This is a much, much different story. It's also vastly improved in quality, demonstrating that Terry Brooks can tell a fantastic story when he's motivated to do so (he "phones it in" in later novels...). In fact, Elfstones is one of my favorite fantasy novels of all time, with one of the best endings of any fantasy story I've ever read.
The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher -- Storm Front, the first novel in the series, was written by Butcher as a "take that" to his creative writing professor. He deliberately jammed as many tropes and cliches into the narrative as possible for an urban fantasy story. She read it and told him that she could sell it, compared to some of his other creative writing projects at the time. So that's what he did. It's an enjoyable read. A decent first novel. Fool Moon, the first sequel, is not quite as good in my opinion, but carries on the same spirit as the first book. Grave Peril, however, stands as one of the better books in the entire series, with the introduction of Michael Carpenter, Harry Dresden's best friend. From Grave Peril onwards, Michael Carpenter and his family come to represent the moral center of Harry's life, which has tremendous impact on Harry's character development in the long-running story arc, up to and including Twelve Months, the most recent novel.
The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan -- The first book in the series, The Eye of the World is much like The Sword of Shannara in that it's a standard fantasy novel, with all the tropes and cliches we expect. Personally, I love the story *because* it's so troperiffic. However, Book 2, The Great Hunt allows Jordan to stretch his creative writing skills and develop the depths of his characters. It's very quest-driven, but we do get to experience a tremendous amount of world-building along the way as the story moves us around the world. Starting in Book 4 (The Shadow Rising) we move from a quest-driven storyline to a political storyline as the various factions all jockey for power and influence with the Dragon Reborn, who's simply trying to reach the end of his purpose.
The Chronicles of the Kencyrath by P.C. Hodgell -- God Stalk harkens back to the sword-and-sorcery of authors like Robert Howard and Fritz Leiber, with a low-fantasy setting where a young woman finds herself enmeshed in a local power struggle between Thieves Guilds. She's also trying to understand her own origins as she can't quite remember where she came from. Starting in Book 2 (Dark of the Moon), Hodgell expands the world-building by introducing us to Jame's long-lost twin brother, who is ruler of the Kencyrath, but is struggling to establish his birthright. The quality of the story-telling shows a noticeable increase between Book 1 and Book 2, and just gets better and better from then on, though a couple of books do dip a bit in quality. Still worth reading and highly enjoyable, however.
I could go on. The point is that authors who write a lot of books over time do tend to improve (mostly). Certainly our favorite authors will almost always show that they've improved their craft.
Who are some of YOUR favorite authors who have shown a lot of improvement over time?
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CRITERIA FOR TBRA BOOKS (ht: muldoon)
A few weeks ago, our resident Limericist Laureate posted the following comment:
Folks often mention their TBR pile, but do any of you have a TBRA* pile with interesting selections?
*To Be Read Again.
Posted by: muldoon at March 29, 2026 11:02 AM (qgHp7)
I'm not going to bore you with a comprehensive list of books I'll read again (see above and below for examples). I know some readers will *never* re-read a book, for their own reasons. I'm not one of those readers. Muldoon's comment did get me thinking about the criteria that I consider when choosing whether or not to re-read a book
Characters -- First and foremost, I think CHARACTERS are what draw me back to a book once I've read it. Do the characters seem fully fleshed out? Do they have individual personalities and quirks that are memorable? Do they have qualities that I admire in a person? This can apply both to protagonists and antagonists. I like a memorable villain as much as I admire a noble hero. My favorite stories will have both.
Plot -- Do I like the plot of the stories that engage me again and again? If the events within a story are boring or off-putting for some reason, then I'm unlikely to return to the book for a second read. There are some books I've read only once and so long ago that I've forgotten the plot, so I may pick those up again just to see what I remember about them. In some cases, once I start re-reading them I'll remember why I didn't enjoy it much the first time. Note that a plot doesn't have to be complicated or subversive for me to enjoy it again. I like straightforward heroic quests as much as I enjoy complex mysteries where you are not quite sure what's going on.
Setting -- I love world-building in storytelling. I'll go back to some of my favorite stories again and again just because I love the world the author created. Steven Erickson's world of the Malazan Empire is a great example. As is P.C. Hodgell's Rathilien in The Chronicles of the Kencyrath. Both are fantastic examples of world-building done *right*.
Emotional impact -- Finally, the fourth quality I look for in a book that's worth re-reading is the emotional impact it has on me as a reader. What do I experience emotionally as I read the story? Do I feel joy, sadness, anger, depression, or hope? Do I feel satisfied at the end? Is there a satisfying emotional payoff? I re-read The Lord of the Rings not long ago and I was impressed by how much of an emotional impact that story still has on me, even though I've read it many times before. Now THAT'S good storytelling.
One series of books that has failed to make it to the TBRA pile is Isaac Asimov's Foundation series. I read those some time ago because I wanted to read a science fiction epic that is foundational to the field. And while it wasn't bad, it also was not great. The best way I can describe the series is "flat." I don't recall much about the story, to be honest. Asimov's characters are kind of dull. His plot is OK, but not terribly engrossing, his Galactic Empire doesn't have much going for it, and by the time I was done, I really didn't feel much of anything. So while I *might* re-read it again in the future, it would never rise to the very top of my TBRA pile.
MORON RECOMMENDATIONS
While most people first encounter Narnia in C.S. Lewis' The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, my personal favorite story in the series is The Magician's Nephew. This is the origin story of the series, though written much later by Lewis.
Digory Kirke and his new friend Polly sneak into his Uncle Andrew's locked study and discover some magic rings. Polly touches a red one and disappears, and Digory must follow with a green one if he is to rescue her. They are transported to a transit zone between worlds, and instead of returning home, they jump to a different world. When Digory rings a bell there in a ruined tower, he awakens Jadis, an evil witch. They try to escape home, but end up in a new world called Narnia.
This is an allegory of the Adam and Eve story; in this one Digory awakens evil and brings it into this new world. Along the way, foreshadowing of events to come are left for the reader that tie into the main series storyline. I especially like that a portion of a London street lamp is dropped on the ground in Narnia, and it grows into the lamp that Lucy finds in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
Posted by: Thomas Paine at April 12, 2026 09:13 AM (0U5gm)
Comment: When you first encounter The Magician's Nephew after reading the previous Narnia books, it can be a bit jarring. However, like Thomas Paine, I agree that it's one of the best in the series. The sequence that takes place in the dead world of Charn is very creepy and unsettling. The end, fittingly for a book written by C.S. Lewis, is very hopeful and uplifting. Just a great book and a great series overall. Well worth reading and rereading.
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I dosed off a bit this morning and woke up thinking about Carla Emery's Encyclopedia of Country Living. My husband bought me a replacement copy as my original fell apart. The original was memographed pages. Carla started writing and would mail new chapters as they were finished. She took some of her kids with her, to sell the book at local fairs. She was raised on a farm and knewwhat she was talking about. It all eventually lead to tv interviews and the book being published as a regular edition. She and her husband started a school for homesteaders, but the marriage finally fell apart.
There was so much knowledge of old ways that people tried to recover and save in the 60s and 70s. Yet here we are, with young homesteaders throwing it away for Instragram influencers. It's a shame.
Posted by: Notsothoreau at April 12, 2026 09:28 AM (gQ15S)
Comment: I bought a copy of this book several years ago, no doubt based on Moron recommendations. Not quite sure what I intend to do with it, though. I don't live in the country. Though I could raise chickens, perhaps. Some of my neighbors do. I don't have enough land to grow a decent garden as my yard is about the size of a postage stamp. And I'm pretty lazy when it comes to that sort of thing.
The journey through F. Paul Wilson's Secret History of the World continues. Like The Dresden Files, these books move fast. I can blaze through a book in a day or two because Wilson just keeps the pace moving quickly, but it never feel so rushed that you can't enjoy the story.
Repairman Jack Book 9 - Infernal by F. Paul Wilson
Jack's father is killed in a terrorist attack. Still grieving for father he only recently reconnected with, Jack is contacted by his older brother Tom, who needs Jack's help to disappear.
Tom is in deep, deep trouble with the law, as he's a corrupt judge under federal investigation. He dragoons Jack into assisting Tom with a little recovery operation off the coast of Bermuda, which will have tragic consequences for both Jack and Tom, as they discover a lost artifact that should have remained lost.
Repairman Jack Book 10 - Harbingers by F. Paul Wilson
Until now, Jack has mostly dealt with factions tied to the "Otherness," the alien cosmic entity that seeks intrusion into our world.
Now he discovers that the nominal "Ally" has its own faction, which it uses to intervene in its endless war against the Otherness. It's very nearly as ruthless as the Otherness in pursuing its goals, but it wants to keep Earth within its sphere of influence.
Jack's caught up in a war that threatens to take away everyone that Jack cares about.
Repairman Jack Book 11 - Bloodline by F. Paul Wilson
Jack is hired to find a teenage girl who’s shacking up with a much older man. Dawn's mother misses her dearly and wants her returned safe and sound.
Dawn's paramour has deep, dark secrets of his own and when Dawn becomes pregnant, he knows that his task is nearly complete.
This is one of the darker entries in the Repairman Jack series. The villains' plans are truly morally and ethically repugnant. Wilson is very good about creating irredeemably evil characters.
The ICE Trilogy Book 1 - Panacea by F. Paul Wilson
ICE here means "Intrusive Cosmic Entities," which is the name that ex-CIA operative Rick Hayden calls the alien forces that appear to be causing chaos on our planet. Unlike Repairman Jack, Rick is NOT a direct target of either the Ally or the Otherness, but he is aware of what the Otherness is capable of to some extent.
Laura Fanning is a medical examiner who’s hired to track down a mythical and mystical "universal cure" for a terminally-ill billionaire. Laura and Rick will travel to the ends of the Earth—or at least a remote corner of Scotland to find the panacea and brink it back.
The ICE Trilogy Book 2 - The God Gene by F. Paul Wilson
Rick's zoologist brother has gone missing. Rick and medical examiner Laura once again scour the globe to track down Keith, who appears to have disappeared in East Africa.
Meanwhile, a trader in exotic animals has discovered the source of Keith's "protosimian" companion—a monkeylike creature with extraordinary intelligence and uncanny blue eyes.
The "dapis" as they are dubbed may even be a threat to the human race—one that is empowered by either the Ally or the Otherness.
Repairman Jack Book 12 - By the Sword by F. Paul Wilson
Numerous factions are climbing out of the woodwork to claim ownership of the Gaijin Masamune, a legendary sword that was a ground zero of the Hiroshima blast in World War II, yet somehow survived.
Things get crazy at the end when Jack maneuvers the various factions to go to literal war with one another.
By the Sword interweaves material from Black Wind as a core part of its storyline, though it's not necessary to read the earlier book to enjoy this one.
Repairman Jack Book 13 - Ground Zero by F. Paul Wilson
The collapse of the World Trade Center was orchestrated by Osama bin Laden. Or was it? Jack's childhood friend Louise "Weezy" Connell claims to have found the TRUE origin of the attack on the World Trade Center and needs Jack's help to disappear before the real architects of the terrorist attack find her.
Turns out the truth is much, much darker than anything Weezy or even Jack can imagine, leading to a global conspiracy network that has one mission: destroy the Lady, a mysterious figure who stands in the way of the Otherness.
The Adversary Cycle Book 4 - The Touch by F. Paul Wilson
A devoted family physician is granted the power to heal any disease or ailment with a touch. It only works a limited time per day.
He has no idea where it comes from, but the Vietnamese gardener of one of his patients has seen it back in Vietnam during the war. Ba (his name) knows that this power comes with a tragic price, though it's one that Dr. Bulmer believes is worth paying for the gift he's able to bring to others, including one special little boy.
The Peabody-Ozymandius Traveling Circus & Oddity Emporium by F. Paul Wilson
This novella was born out of a short-story anthology called Freak Show.
Wilson decided to expand his contribution and tie it more firmly into The Secret History of the World.
All of the sideshow freaks of the circus in question have been born out of the Otherness, touched by that darkness in some profound way. Their leader, Oz, is searching for missing components of an Infernal Device, the purpose of which remains a mystery, though it will only work in certain "touched" regions of the Earth during the equinox.
The ICE Trilogy Book 3 - The Void Protocol by F. Paul Wilson
Super-powered humans have begun showing up in America. The origin of their strange gifts is unknown, but the billionaire patron of Laura Manning and Rick Hayden is determined to find them and understand the nature of their gifts.
The secret lies deep within a hidden military facility underneath the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, where a mysterious "hole" in reality exists that defies any and all explanations.
Repairman Jack Book 14 - The Last Christmas by F. Paul Wilson
This one is a bit odd because Wilson wrote it AFTER he swore he’d never write another Repairman Jack novel. But then he decided to tell this tale and fit it into the overall narrative.
One thing to take away from this story: Don't ever, ever try to screw Jack over once he's accepted your job. Don't play games with him. Don't withhold information he asks for. When he finds out you’ve been less than forthright with him, he WILL make you pay. May God have mercy on your soul. Because Jack sure won't.
The Adversary Cycle Book 5 - Reprisal by F. Paul Wilson
This is one of the darkest novels in the entirety of The Secret History of the World. In the author’s introduction, Wilson admits that there were passages that were very difficult for him to write, but were necessary for the story.
At its core Reprisal's main theme is the targeted, deliberate destruction of innocence. The Adversary never, ever forgets nor forgives anyone who has slighted him or stood in his way in the past. He exacts terrifying revenge on the former Catholic priest who very nearly killed the Adversary before he could be reborn.
Repairman Jack Book 15 - Fatal Error by F. Paul Wilson
At last we are nearing the end of The Secret History of the World.
In Fatal Error, Jack finds himself embroiled in one final scheme to kill the Lady, the mystical guardian of planet Earth. Twice now she’s been killed by agents of the Otherness, but has managed to find a way to return.
Meanwhile Jack is helping a man whose wife and child were kidnapped. The man in question helped design software code that could potentially end the Internet worldwide, which has grim implications for the future.
Repairman Jack Book 16 - The Dark at the End by F. Paul Wilson
Canonically, this is the last of the Repairman Jack novels within The Secret History of the World. The next novel, Nightworld, does feature Jack, but he's part of an ensemble cast of characters from previous works in the series.
In this novel, Jack is finally unleashed to go after the Adversary directly, now that the Adversary knows the Sentinel, the Ally's champion, has been severely weakened by age and infirmity. Jack is paired with his own unlikely ally, Ernst Drexler, who used to by an actuator for the Septimus Order, a faction of the Otherness.
Signalz by F. Paul Wilson
This novella is a prequel to Nightworld, though written several years after that novel. It sets the stage for the events of Nightworld, featuring a number of secondary characters from previous novels who are now trapped in the most terrifying events of their life.
Their world as they knew it is over, as they begin to experience the direct influence of the Otherness within their personal lives.
The Adversary Cycle Book 6 - Nightworld by F. Paul Wilson
This is it. The last novel of The Secret History of the World. Chronologically, it takes place around 2012, though it's a bit vague in that regard.
It was originally part of The Adversary Cycle, closing out that series, but as Wilson wrote more and more Repairman Jack novels, he knew he had to revise and rewrite Nightworld to fit in the events that took place in those books.
The end result is one of the most terrifying books about the end of the world I've ever read.
The 5800X3D has AMD's 3D-Vcache, so while it uses DDR4 memory it doesn't lose a lot of speed from it. And the 3060 has 12GB of memory, so in that respect it is better than current low-end cards.
If you missed out on this the first time because you couldn't afford the price tag or weren't yet born in 1991, the updated version will slash the cost from $649 to $249. And $649 in 1991 dollars is over $1500 today, so that's a heck of a discount.
And while there are some modern conveniences like HDMI video and a rechargeable wireless option for the controllers, this is not emulated - not in software or in hardware. They actually spent the money for a new production run of the custom chips, and it's fully compatible with the original controllers and cartridges.
And there are ten of the original games back as well. You can pre-order the whole lot - console, controllers, and the ten game cartridges - for $1000.
The same company is also behind an Amiga 1200 reproduction and a number of other classic systems.
Ignoring the platform expiry elephant in the room for the moment, the 250K is a clear winner. For gaming it's a very close match, and while the 250K can use almost twice as much power in multi-threaded tasks, it is also almost twice as fast in multi-threaded tasks, so that's honestly a win too.
The problem comes if you plan to upgrade your system in the future. AMD plans at least one and probably two new generations of processors in the AM5 socket, while Intel's Socket 1851 disappears later this year with the introduction of Nova Lake and its Socket 1954.
Despite that computer sales actually rose slightly, as customers panic-bought everything in sight. Not that you would catch me doing that. Not since I ran out of money, anyway.
Musical Interlude
Huh. Postmodern Jukebox is performing at the Sydney Opera House in July. Almost enough to get me to make the trip.
Disclaimer: The fire extinguisher on the piano shows they were practising safe sax.
Saturday Night Club ONT - April 18, 2026 [D Squared]
—Open Blogger
Welcome to Club ONT - a collaboration of The Disco and The Dino. Come in in, grab a drink or 3. Find an old friend. Make a new friend. Just be friendly!
[Top photo: Beer at a random ballpark]. Those of you who attend pro baseball games (be it big leagues or the minors), how much is a beer at your local ballpark?
A man visited his doctor, and the doctor checked him over before commenting, "It looks like you get a fair bit of exercise."
The man replied, "Oh yeah, in fact, just the other day I walked 5 miles over rugged terrain as I climbed over rocks and trees. I also waded along the edges of a lake, pushing my way through tall thistles, and even slid down sandy slopes while getting sand in my eyes."
The doctor was quite impressed. "Well, you are certainly a dedicated outdoorsman."
The man replied, "Not really, doctor. I'm just a really bad golfer."
---------
A woman gets on a bus with her baby. The bus driver says, "That's the ugliest baby that I've ever seen. Ugh!"
The woman goes to the rear of the bus and sits down, fuming. She says to a man next to her, "The driver just insulted me!"
The man says, "You go right up there and tell him off, I'll hold your monkey for you."
*****
Drink of the Night
Tonight we drew the six of hearts from our deck of playing card cocktails
*****
Club ONT Local News Desk
Proposed adult entertainment, seafood venue in Johnstown canceled
Plans for a combination seafood restaurant and adult entertainment business in Johnstown have been called off after city officials raised concerns about a proposed "Crabhouse Lounge" in a residential neighborhood.
City officials said they learned about the plan Tuesday after Facebook posts circulated about a business along Strayer Street in the West End of Johnstown. The posts, made by a man renting a home there, said the "Crabhouse Lounge" would be opening May 1st with strippers and seafood.
Mayor Rev. Sylvia King said city leaders also considered how such a business could affect the surrounding community.
"We have to be cognizant the decisions that we make not only affect us but affect others around us. And especially we have to be concerned about what our children see," King said.
The man who had planned the lounge declined to go on camera but said he was only going to sell seafood platters and that nothing else would be sold. He said he viewed it more as a hangout or gathering than a business, but said the plan is now officially canceled.
Irvine police arrested a man accused of stealing $34,000 worth of high-end Lego sets and replacing the plastic bricks with pieces of dry pasta.
Jarrelle Augustine, 28, allegedly stole expensive sets, such as Star Wars and Marvel, and sealed up the Lego boxes before returning them to the stores for refunds, according to the Irvine Police Department.
"One of the cases that occurred here in Orange County, they shared that they opened the box and instead of Legos, they found bags of dry pasta," Officer Ziggy Azarcon said.
Investigators said the dry pasta mimics the sound of Legos when they're shaken.
LISTEN, my children, and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five;
Hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year.
He said to his friend, "If the British march
By land or sea from the town to-night,
Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch
Of the North Church tower as a signal light, -
One, if by land, and two, if by sea;
And I on the opposite shore will be,
Ready to ride and spread the alarm
Through every Middlesex village and farm,
For the country folk to be up and to arm."
Club ONT acknowledges the recent "accounting discrepancy" that led some to believe that Club ONT has a net worth of $30 million. Club ONT accountants prepared the filing (trained at the Quality Learing Center) and Club ONT signed it, but Club ONT assets are substantially less. We never had millions. Swearsies. If we did, the money is long gone. It totally did not go to our friends and family in Somalia. Club ONT regrets that you made such a mistake and will accept your apology. In other news, we're busy making our accounts payable file disappear with the benefit of "accounting discrepancies."
*****
Club ONT management is not responsible for the insults scribbled in the pollen on the hoods of several cars in the parking lot. Or are we??
The people in charge [Jews, of course -- ace] don't want you to know this, but Muslims love Jesus.
Islam reveres Him as a major prophet and messenger of the Lord, believes He performed miracles, and states that He will return to Earth to defeat the Antichrist. That's why Donald Trump's painting depicting himself as the Son of God offended the president of Iran. It was an attack on his religion as well as Christianity.
Trump's trolling tweet was ill-advised, but Tucker is just lying when he claims the Christianity-hating President of Iran was "offended" by this. He's one step away from announcing his official conversion to Islam. He literally never stops praising Islam. Well, he suddenly became Christian two years ago, there's not much stopping him from converting again.
You can track Tuq'r's official conversion to Islam with this Bingo card.
Podcast: CBD and Sefton talk Orban losing, but is it the end of Hungary? The Irish start a brawl, but is it enough, Pope Leo wades into politics, Trump calls Iran's bluff and blockades Hormuz, Artemis II! Swallwell is scum, and more!
People say that the bearded man in the video of Fartwell molesting a hooker looks like Democrat Arizona Senator Rueben Gallego, said to be Swalwell's "best friend" and known to take vacations with him.
Politico is reporting that multiple people have abruptly resigned from Eric Swalwell's gubernatorial campaign: "Members of senior leadership have departed the campaign, including Courtni Pugh, a strategic adviser who served as Swalwell's top liaison to organized labor groups."
So the campaign is collapsing due to the truth of the sexual harassment allegations.
That hissing sound you hear is the air going out of the Swalwell campaign. UPDATE: No it wasn't, it was just Swalwell one-cheek-sneaking out a fart on camera
Eric Swalwell more like Eric Farewell amirite
thanks to weft-cut loop.
This is the dumbest AI bullslop I've seen in a while: the CIA can use "quantum magnetometry" to track an individual man's heartbeat from twelve miles away I wouldn't click on it, it's not interesting, it's just stupid clickslop. I just want to share my annoyance with you.
Classic Rock Mystery Click This is super-obscure and I only barely remember it. Given that, I'll give you the hint that it's by the Red Rocker. And I guess you think you've got it made
Oh, but then, you never were afraid
Of anything that you've left behind
Oh, but it's alright with me now
'Cause I'll get back up somehow
And with a little luck, yes, I'm bound to win Now twenty people will tell me it's not obscure, it was huge in their hometown and played at their prom. That's how it usually goes. When I linked Donnie Iris's "Love is Like a Rock," everyone said they knew that one and that his other song (which I didn't know at all) Ah Leah! was huge in their area.
