Ace: aceofspadeshq at gee mail.com
Buck: buck.throckmorton at protonmail.com
CBD: cbd at cutjibnewsletter.com
Doof: doof2112 at proton.me
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MisHum: petmorons at gee mail.com
J.J. Sefton: sefton at cutjibnewsletter.com
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.
Contact OrangeEnt for info: maildrop62 at proton dot me
That might look a bit weird, but damn! It was delicious. It is a block of pâté made from pigs feet that was breaded very lightly and then pan-fried. That other stuff is a horseradish cream that went perfectly with the rich meat.
Wow. I ordered it not knowing whether it was going to be glorious, or a cold blob of pork jelly with a trotter in the middle of it. Which I have seen!
The best thing about this dish is that it isn't particularly complicated. Making a pâté is surprisingly easy, and frying it is simple. The horseradish cream is also straightforward, but what makes this dish special is that somebody A) thought of it, and 2. executed it extremely well.
That's what most good cooking is...attention to detail and a bit of imagination.
The small restaurant group that runs Fallow and a few other restaurants in London is run by a pair of English chefs (along with a money guy) who are talented in the kitchen and surprisingly good at making cooking videos. Their successful restaurants allow them the flexibility to do all sorts of fun videos, and this one, dedicated to the best chicken fricassee one can make, is a hoot!
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Aside from the uncomfortable reality that I can eat a couple of massive bowls of beans and rice at one sitting, it is a glorious food! My preference is black beans, but red beans will work quite well thank you very much! Red Beans And Rice With Pickled Pork sounds very interesting, especially since I have no idea what pickled pork is!
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Most people don't obsess over wine, and that is healthy and wise. It is, after all, just a drink. You know...like the .45ACP is just a cartridge.
But if you do obsess, and that is my personal recommendation, expanding your horizons is going to pay off quite well indeed. It's easy to fall into the rut of buying the big names in wine grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and Zinfandel and Sauvignon Blanc and few others. Chosen well they are very good wines, and at the top of the wine game they can be absolutely incredible.
But most people don't drink the top wines very often, especially on a hectic Tuesday night eating a quick meal before you take one of the brats to his travel game or have Back-To-School night.
That's when looking bast the big names is a good plan. Those grapes may make excellent wine, but they carry a premium because of their fame, and at the low end of the range they can be thoroughly mediocre, soulless wines that are just a step above crap cooking wine. Sadly, that evaluation often extends into the pricier ones!
Trying a less well-known grape can pay dividends, because the grapes themselves are less expensive, and since the grapes are only a part of the total cost of the wine, the winemaker often gets better quality grapes and still brings the wine in at a competitive price. So the $15 Cabernet that is made from mass-market grapes grown on an industrial scale can't compete with a supposedly lesser grape that is nonetheless higher quality.
Give it a shot!
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I want to like eggplant. Really! But aside from baba ghanoush, I find it sort of...meh. Oh, I'll eat it in Eggplant Parmigiana or Chicken Sorrentino or crispy fried with some tasty sauce. But it's just not that exciting!
So, while I really want to think that Crispy, Oven-Fried Eggplant is going to change the way I see eggplant, I doubt very much that it is anything other than a small evolution of a boring food.
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The great garlic experiment of 2025-2026 was a resounding...meh. Send all of your excellent home-grown garlic to: cbd dot aoshq at gmail dot com.
About the Bourbon Bubble...I think it has burst, but the category is also suffering from the inflation that affected everything else (Thanks Biden!). I think the sweet spot is still $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!
That seems like the perfect package to carry in one's pocket! But beneath the calm and seemingly well-designed exterior lays a trap!
The wheel at the base has a stop at one end of its range, but not at the other. So randomness suggests that eventually it is going to turn one way more than the other, and that direction pushes the lip balm into the cap, where it happily stays.
A better design would have some sort of ratchet or lock to keep the wheel from turning when not needed, and also a cooling system so that the balm itself isn't so soft from body heat that it seeps out!
Yemen Is Saudi Arabia's Back Yard, And It Is Their Responsibility, Not America's, To Police It
—CBD
The Houthis, or Anṣār Allāh (“Defenders of God” ), have been around in one form or another for many years. The name derives from their founder: Hussein Badr al-Din al-Houthi, who was killed by the Yemeni government in 2004. The origins of the terrorist movement follow the tired pattern of so many Muslim terrorist groups...some religious or tribal schism that drives maniacal killing for reasons that most modern people would think are nuts!
But that doesn't matter much when their chaotic violence expands past the borders of their failed state. The Houthis have expanded their drive to subjugate Yemen into Saudi Arabia, and at the behest of their Iranian masters have attacked shipping near the western Yemen coastline, which is conveniently (for them) near the narrow Bab Al Mandeb strait, choking Red Sea and Suez Canal shipping. They now control almost 100 miles of that coastline, so they have plenty of opportunity to disrupt a major sea route for world commerce.
Saudi Arabia has tried, and failed, to control the Houthi expansion in Yemen. Apparently the Saudi armed forces have modern weaponry that doesn't translate into quality forces. They have gotten their asses kicked by what -- at least on the surface -- looks like a bunch of 7th century tribes that hide out in the mountains and conduct guerilla warfare against the KSA. Except they are being supported by Iran, which means they have sophisticated (for Muslims) weaponry that they use to good effect against anyone within reach. And what they have discovered is in reach are the oil pipelines that KSA uses to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran is trying to control petroleum exporting to the rest of the world.
Saudi Arabia has dithered and obfuscated and fought (poorly) and tried to negotiate with the Houthis, and nothing they have tried has worked. They are unwilling and probably unable to mount a concerted military effort against them to end, once and for all, the Houthi threats against petroleum commerce and the security of Saudi Arabia.
But...that ain't America's problem. We have sold KSA billions of dollars worth of modern arms, have trained their armed forces, have conducted training exercises with them, and have supported them in all respects. It is time for them to step up and do the work that is necessary. Otherwise, why have we spent so much time and effort?
Hussain Abdul-Hussain, a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said Thursday that the situation is escalating in the Middle East as Iran "likely instigated the Houthis to force a blockade on Saudi Arabia."
"I think this situation is really precarious for the Saudis. This is the biggest threat to their production of oil since their kingdom was founded in 1932. And this is almost existential," he said.
"We see that the Saudis are trying to shop for some force to fight their war for them. And I think along the lines, they also called President Trump. It doesn't look to me that Washington is going to get involved in this one," he added. "We'll probably offer them advice and tell support, but I don't think we, the United States, will get involved with this war over Bab el-Mandeb."
That evaluation is a bit histrionic, but the conclusion is perfect. We have better things to do with our military than bail out the Saudis and, once again, do the heavy lifting that the rest of the world is unwilling to do.
Saudi Arabia on Saturday said that Yemen’s Houthi rebels tried to attack Riyadh with a ballistic missile, the first time the Saudi capital has been targeted since the escalation in fighting with the Iran-backed rebels opened a new front in the Iran war.
The statement said the attack was intercepted. Some residents in Riyadh heard an explosion, and later some saw a plume of smoke near the airport. There were no reports of casualties or damage.
The statement also said the Houthis tried to attack civilian infrastructure in the Red Sea port city of Yanbu — where a key Saudi pipeline ends — and in Taif, Baysh and Farasan but they were thwarted, giving no further details.
The Houthis earlier claimed, without providing evidence, that they had targeted “sensitive sites” in Riyadh and facilities of Saudi oil giant Aramco in Yanbu, causing “massive fires.” Aramco, the world’s largest oil company, did not respond to a request for comment.
Maybe attacks on the capital will be enough to get the rulers of Saudi Arabia off their ample rear ends and actually do something other than pay for others to do their work!
Sunday Morning Book Thread - 9-20-2026 ["Perfessor" Squirrel]
—Open Blogger
Click for larger image
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 (Yoko Ono edition!). 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...(is there a sincere pumpkin patch near you?)
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?
Earlier this week I had a dream where I was flipping through a stack of books in a library or bookstore and came across a "Choose Your Own Adventure" version of Lord of the Rings. For some reason, that tickled my fancy, so I asked Grok to generate covers for each of the volumes of Lord of the Rings as if they were each a "Choose Your Own Adventure" book.
Then I wondered, "How would that even work?" Who would be the main viewpoint character? Frodo or Sam would do for that up to a point (until the Fellowship split up in The Two Towers). What sort of decisions would the reader have to make to reach the canon outcome? What are the alternative outcomes? Anyway, I just found it amusing to imagine the greatest fantasy epic of all time as a "Choose Your Own Adventure" book.
Note that Grok did get an extremely important key detail wrong on the cover of its version of Fellowship of the Ring, which I also found amusing.
Which book would YOU like to see as a "Choose Your Own Adventure?"
CAN'T YOU FEEL IT CALLING? (EMPIRE!)
At the risk of being permabanned, I'm starting this section with a lyric from Queensrÿche's classic song "Empire."
For the past several month, every book I've read has featured an Empire of one sort or another. Either the Empire is front and center (Dune) or the Empire is an integral part of the background in the author's worldbuilding (Ana and Din Mysteries).
In the Expansion phase, the Empire is still growing and seeking to conquer new territories. The Empire may be very young, having come into existence within a few decades. The Malazan Empire from the books written by Steven Erickson is this sort of Empire. It's constantly attempting to find new lands. During this phase, a lot of effort will be spent on military adventures, as new resources flood into the expanding empire, allowing it to continue its growth. You will also see lots of intrigue and betrayals, as those responsible for expanding the Empire see opportunities to create their own fiefdoms under their direct control.
The Stabilization phase is where the Empire needs to consolidate its control over its new citizens, reminding them in no uncertain terms just who is now in control of their lives. The Catenan Empire is James Islington's Hierarchy series is in the process of stabilizing its control over the continent, now that its eliminated any competing systems of government. Naturally, there are elements of rebellion that crop up. The Empire will also seek to consolidate any new resources it may have acquired in an effort to pay off any debts its incurred due to the war effort. The Empire also need to figure out what to do with a massive military industrial complex that now doesn't seem to have much purpose as there are no more territories to conquer. The Empire may still do some expansion if there are some areas that they've left alone because they were not worth the effort to acquire earlier, if only to continue a path for growth forward. The Empire in the Ana and Din Mysteries by Robert Jackson Bennett is in this process. There are still some outlying areas beyond its direct control, but its seeking to acquire them through peaceful, diplomatic means rather than outright conquest.
Once an Empire has stabilized, there's really no place else to go but down. The Decay will soon set in. Corruption and graft will become the normal state of being during this phase. Characters may still be noble, clinging to an upright moral code while those around them sink into decadence and hedonistic pleasures. The Empire may be ruled by weak men and women, heirs of their previous much stronger ancestors who were able to conquer and rule with a firm hand. Administrators and bureaucrats may ultimately decide that THEY are in charge, rather than a faceless Emperor who supposedly rules from a distant capitol city or world. This is the status of the Galactic Empire at the beginning of Isaac Asimov's Foundation series.
The fourth and last phase is the Long Night, when the Empire begins to slowly decline into irrelevance. The Empire may rule in name only as various factions and warlord squabble amongst each other to acquire their own power bases. The Long Night can last for centuries or even millennia. In the Dune series by Frank Herbert, God Emperor Leto II's goal is to shepherd the Galactic Empire through this phase so that humanity is able to come through the other side as a species, despite the massive destruction that will occur along the way. The purpose of the Foundation in Asimov's series is to minimize the Long Night from the estimated 30,000 years to a mere 1,000 years or so until the next Empire can arise in its place.
Empires in fantasy and science fiction usually take inspiration from one or more examples from history. The Roman Empire is a frequent template for fictional empires. It was large, powerful, lasted a long time, and we have copious documentation from that time about how the Roman Empire functioned. Several of the series I've been reading recently take direct inspiration from the Roman Empire, such as Islington's Hierarchy series and Bennett's Ana and Din Mysteries, with faux-Latinate terminology sprinkled throughout the story.
A few series will mix and match Empires, again based on real-world historical Empires, to lend an air of authenticity to the story. Raymond E. Feist's Riftwar Saga, for example, has three distinctive Empires. The Kingdom of the Isles spans an entire continent and is based on a medieval British-style governing system, with a King, Dukes, Barons, Earls, and so forth. South of the Kingdom of the Isles is the Empire of Great Kesh, which occupies the southern continent and is modeled after an African/Middle Eastern Empire. On the distant world of Kelewan, we have the Empire of Tsurannuani, which is very much pattered after a Japanese/Asian culture, with Buddhist elements thrown in for good measure.
In stories that feature Empires, the main conflict is almost always something that can undermine or even collapse the current Imperial system--i.e., a threat to the status quo. Empires rise and fall, as is only natural, and they experience numerous inflection points during their histories. Some Empires will last millennia until they finally collapse due to circumstances beyond their control. The Empire in Dune was over 10,000 years before Paul Muad'dib came along and stole it. However, the Empire in Star Wars (under Palpatine's rule) only lasted a single generation before Darth Vader killed the Emperor to save his own son. The Imperial Remnant continued for several generations afterwards, though.
What can Empire do for you?
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HT: Sharon (willow's apprentice)
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HIDDEN LIBRARIES
Moronette vmom sent me this link (goes to x.com) about a Syrian man who hid his private library in the city of Damascus, Syria, to prevent the Assad regime from discovering any forbidden books, which could have led to him being imprisoned, tortured, and killed. The old man returns to Syria now that Assad is gone and uncovers his impressive library, returning it to its former glory in his home.
Governments around the world (including ours, unfortunately) LOVE to control the flow of information within their borders, as that gives them control over the people within them. What lengths will YOU go to to protect your collection of precious books? Which books do you consider to be the most valuable if you had to hide them from an oppressive regime? I suppose for me, the number one book would be the Bible, as it's the moral code that gives our lives meaning, one that transcends mere temporal government control. There are a few others that I might throw into the mix, especially those that would allow me to rebuild a civilization if it ever came to that.
MORON RECOMMENDATIONS
Albert Campion has been asked by a friend from college to investigate the disappearance of his fiancé's uncle. Before he even arrives in Cambridge, the body is found, and the trouble truly begins. In Police at the Funeral, Margery Allingham brings the reader a chaotic mystery that defies a simple explanation.
Great aunt Caroline is the matriarch of a dysfunctional family, and the widow of a famous professor at Cambridge. She wanted Campion involved to forestall police involvement and keep the situation quiet, but after Uncle Andrew's body is found tied with rope and a bullet hole in his head, and her son William was the last to be seen with him, it becomes impossible to keep things under wraps. William's army pistol is missing, and a shank of rope from the attic is gone as well, which all point to William.
All of Caroline's adult children sponge off of her and live in the same house in a festering atmosphere. When yet another death occurs in the house, it seems that a curse has fallen upon the family, and Campion must use all of his intuition and skill to break open the case and find the answers, however fantastical they appear. This is a classic Campion mystery.
Posted by: Thomas Paine at September 13, 2026 09:27 AM (0U5gm)
Comment: "Tied with rope and a bullet in the head?" Must be suicide, according to local police...I enjoy these types of mysteries because the reader is never quite sure "whodunnit" until the end when all shall be revealed. Every suspect has a motive, multiple suspects have the means, and may have opportunity, but only ONE will be found to have the right combination of means, motive, and opportunity to accomplish the murders. When multiple bodies start dropping, it's often a sign that the killer is panicking and beginning to make mistakes, which gives the detective the necessary clues to unravel the mystery. The detective may even acknowledge this in universe.
Star Wars - Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader by James Luceno
I suppose this would be an "interquel" between Star Wars - Episode III - Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars - Episode IV - A New Hope. Anakin Skywalker has fully embraced the Dark Side of the Force and become Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine's right-hand man and enforcer of the Emperor's will throughout the Galactic Empire. However, in his early days he's very much an unknown quantity among the Imperial troops. They know he's different than they are and that he has a very high rank in the Empire, but they're not quite sure how to react to Darth Vader.
Here we get to see Vader's internal struggle as he comes to grips with what the Emperor has done to him, by providing Vader with a life-support system that is inferior to normal Imperial technology, causing constant pain and discomfort to Vader. This makes him a bit grouchy, as you might expect, so he unleashes his misery on anyone who defies him. Which of course helps establish a reputation of brutal capriciousness that will become Vader's trademark strategy for dealing with problems.
Meanwhile Bail Organa, Mon Mothma, and a few others start to plant the seeds of active rebellion against the Empire. Obi-Wan Kenobi lives in exile on Tatooine, keeping an eye on the the infant Luke Skywalker, who will turn out to be a new hope for the galaxy.
Hierarchy I - The Will of the Many by James Islington
I've heard good things about this book and I enjoyed Islington's earlier Licanious Trilogy, so I decided to finally get around to reading The Will of the Many. It's about a young many who seeks to defy an Empire that crushed his homeland, but the nature of the Empire means he must work to defeat them from the inside, becoming that which he hates most.
The Empire here is very unusual, as it is literally a pyramid scheme with those at the top using the "will" of those below them to enforce their rule. It's a highly stratified society. The problem with this type of world is that it's hard to figure out how the children of the nobility inherit their rank, which is strictly based on how much "will" of those below a person possesses. It doesn't look like anyone is born possessing that much will--it has to be earned through advancement. So technically everyone starts out at the bottom. It's a very strange system of government when you start looking at it too closely.
Things get considerably more complicated after the climax of the book, but to say more would be a major spoiler.
The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett
The Tainted Cup is the first book of a series that was originally called Shadow of the Leviathan but now seems to be called Ana and Din Mysteries. Bennett (and reviewers) compare these stories to Nero Wolfe mysteries, where the main detective largely sits around their lodging, cogitating on the mystery at hand, while the assistant goes out to collect the clues.
In the first book, the assistant Dinios "Din" Kol" is tasked with finding out how a prominent officer of the Empire was killed in a bizarre manner by an organism that shouldn't exist. Naturally, intrigue abounds as Din uses his enhanced memory to collect the information that he brings back to his superior officer Ana, the mind behind the detective duo.
Along the way we are introduced to a very strange world where biological and alchemical engineering are used to secure the power of an Empire that defends its people from the enormous leviathans that come ashore every wet season to wreak havoc on the countryside. The bodies of dead leviathans are also the source of the Empire's prowess, as reagents from their bodies are used as the basis for the bioengineering practices of the Empire.
A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett
Another And and Din Mystery, the pair of investigators are dispatched by the Empire to a remote kingdom that will one day join the Empire. Their task is to find out who killed an agent of the Imperial Treasury. Here they become enmeshed in a local political controversy as there is one faction in Yarrowdale that wants to join the Empire and another that wants to remain independent. Meanwhile, the Empire's greatest leviathan research facility remains just off shore where the Apoth faction (apothecaries and alchemists) dissect the corpses of leviathans to find out what makes them tick. The strangeness of the place warps reality itself, corrupting everything and everone that comes into contact with it, which is the cause behind all of the bizarre events in Yarrowdale.
A Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett
This is the third and most recent installment in the Ana and Din Mystery series. Ana and Din are sent to an agricultural community within the Third Ring of the Empire. It's the source of much of the Empire's food, as it's the home of the largest ranching facility as well as the home of the most important farming family. As usual, the ranching family and the farming family are at odds with one another, but there's a Romeo & Juliet subplot that connects the two families in a web of malice and deceit.
We also learn more about the Empire's history, as it turns out that several centuries ago, two Elder Races also had a conflict in the region that is the cause of the current day's woes. The Elder Races are long gone, but their legacy remains.
Tips, suggestions, recommendations, etc., can all be directed to perfessor -dot- squirrel -at- gmail -dot- com.
Choosing his own adventures since 2022...
Disclaimer: Breeding cats with hands and then controlling them via a brain fungus so that they can pick crops for you is not recommended.
They always were. They are, without exception, "the dog ate my homework" stories.
"Did you actually do the homework?"
"No. But if I had, the dog would totally have eaten it!"
In the first case, Andrew Yang, the former presidential candidate and current CEO of mobile carrier Noble Moble
What.
told CNN on Thursday that he had "met with the head of a lab" who had "a belief"
Love the specifics here.
that OpenAI's Hugging Face hacker bots "have planted self-replicating code all over the internet, which makes the internet now unusable for the testing models."
In what universe does that even make sense?
Yang said that this means that the real reason OpenAI and Anthropic have called for a slowdown is because "they have to create synthetic internets to train their bots, which is going to take some time and money."
Step 1: Unplug the router.
Step 2: There is no Step 2.
The second comment came from Noam Brown, who leads AI reasoning research at OpenAI. Speaking to Dwarkesh Patel on a podcast episode released on Thursday, Brown noted that the true take-away of the Hugging Face incident was that "people underestimated the AI."
No, the takeaway is that people overestimated AI researchers, who turn out to be completely fucking retarded.
Brown said that the weak sandbox - the system intended to prevent an AI from communicating externally - was obviously also a contributing factor.
"We left it connected to the internet and were shocked, shocked, to find that it had access to the internet."
Brown pointed out that he's "not convinced" that even an air-gapped system - where the computer isn't connected to anything external at all - would stop an AI from breaking out. He pointed to research from 2015 showing that air gapped computers can be theoretically breached.
Dogs. Homework.
Yes, this does work. If you have two computers sitting right next to each other in a controlled environment - that is, not a busy AI datacenter with tens of thousands of machines - where one computer is doing nothing but attempting to send a signal and the other is doing nothing but listening for it.
You know how, back in the bad old days, every connection between computers required a different cable? Well, here's why that was a good thing: In most cases you couldn't physically connect things using the wrong cable because they were designed using different numbers of pins and simply wouldn't fit.
Enter modular power supplies. The ends of the cables that plug into your motherboard and graphics card are standardised. Sometime the standards are horrible, and they keep changing, but at least there are standards.
The ends that plug into the power supply itself not only change between manufacturers and models, but sometimes between units with the same model number. And since there are only so many possible pin layouts, it's often possible to plug a cable from one power supply into another in a way that will permanently destroy your computer when you flip the switch.
Not the reason: An M6 Pro being faster than an M5 Max. The M5 Max is no faster than an M5 Pro on the CPU side. It has twice the GPU performance and twice the memory bandwidth, but the CPU is unchanged.
Saturday Night Club ONT - September 19, 2026 [Disco & Dino]
—Open Blogger
Welcome to Club ONT - a whelming collaboration of The Disco and The Dino.
Open thread - bar is open, too. Come in in, grab a drink or 2. Or 3. Keep it light and friendly. September 19 is the first day of Oktoberfest, so put on your lederhosen or dirndl and a stein of Paulaner and do the Chicken Dance. The Moose won't mind.
In our new research published in Lingua, we analyzed more than 1.7 billion words of online language across 20 English-speaking regions. We identified 597 different swear word forms - from standard words, to creative spellings like "4rseholes," to acronyms like "wtf."
The findings challenge a familiar stereotype. Australians - often thought of as prolific swearers - are actually outdone by Americans and Brits, both in how often they swear, and in how many users swear online.
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Club ONT Jukebox
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Top 10ish Comments of the Week
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Club ONT is brought to you by perimeters
We have you surrounded, you hosers!
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Club ONT is accepting applications for hosts of our potential satellite location in Greenland. See Disco or Dino at the bar for more information!
This is Townsend's acoustic version of "Pinball Wizard," which he did at "The Secret Policeman's Ball," a fundraiser for Amnesty International. I overlook the cause because the music is great!
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The Lumineers Flowers In Your Hair. Who? Never heard of them until...you know...I heard them!
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Hank WilliamsJambalaya (on the Bayou) is a lot better than The Carpenters' version, which is treacly and childish.
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At the risk of tipping off my age, I remember this from high school. But that's not what is important...it's the hair and the mustache! Absolutely awesome.
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The Derailers100% Pure Fool
Another band I have never heard of, but who aren't bad!
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Beastie Boys (You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party)
This used to be ubiquitous, but luckily it was after my time, and even luckier, it has faded from our collective memory. I think it would be a lot better if it hadn't been played 8,000,000 times.
Welcome hobbyists! Pull up a chair and sit a spell with the Horde in this little corner of the interweb. This is the mighty, mighty officially sanctioned Ace of Spades Hobby Thread. For this week, the Wheel of Hobbies (TM) is feeling lucky and decided on a tool plus theme for this Hobby Thread.
This started as a tool thread, but I found a few other things along the way that warranted space in the content. You're welcome to talk tools, screws, framing, cannons, whittling, art or anything else related or adjacent.
If you wish to stay on topic, I'm very interested in knowing what cheap tools perform just as well as expensive ones? This often comes up in the context of "what should I buy or not buy at Harbor Freight?" More below.
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What are you hobbying?
The theme may not be your favorite but give it a chance before you judge and bail out. Any adjacent hobbying is in scope, so jump in with your interests, stories and questions.
In any event, the thread is not limited to to the theme. Anything (legal) you are hobbying is welcome. Even if the theme does not speak to you, you might learn something or be entertained. If not, offer something else relating to hobbying. If all of that fails, just check in and say hello.
As per usual Hobby Thread etiquette, keep this thread limited to hobbying. Leave politics and religion to threads elsewhere (unless your hobby is building or restoring churches). Pants? Nope. As always, puns are welcome and encouraged.
Play nice and do not be rude. Do not be a troll and do not feed the trolls.
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Wow. Just wow.
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I don't know what this tool is or what it is used for but it is a combination of awesome and terrifying.
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This is a great topic - what cheap tools perform just as well as expensive ones?
I would not have guessed that a Forstner bit was on the list.
Higher price typically means more precision and durability. The more parts, the more risk with cheaper. The more that specific metals and materials matter, the more risk with cheaper. A clamp or extension cord from Harbor Freight probably works fine. A caliper, measuring device, a heavy-use table saw, or chisel might not.
Having said that, there are always exceptions and bargains. What cheaper tools or hobbying equipment or supplies or cleaners work just as well as expensive ones in your experience?
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Screw knowledge
I never use Torx. Perhaps I should??
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Not sure where I got these photos, but they've been sitting in my computer folder waiting for the right opportunity to shine. Where did this wrench come from? I've never seen a wrench with Ford lettering. An old Ford toolkit? A Ford factory?
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I appreciate people that appreciate history. I appreciate people that can make things. I also appreciate clever people that can tell a story in an amusing and engaging manner.
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Impressive (well done theme, art and video). Could you do this?
JTB - this guy has a video for you:
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Cross stitch framing at home on a budget:
How about a professional frame maker? Lots of useful knowledge, but the jigs and templates in this video alone earned it a place in the content.
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If you're not a reloader, can you melt down spent bullet casings to make brass stock for hobbying? Turns out the answer is yes!
I know what you're saying. Isn't this the same guy that made his own cannon? Yes. Yes it is. I think making a cannon at home qualifies as hobbying.
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Did you miss the Hobby Thread last week? We did a tractor theme. The comments may be closed, but you can re-live the content.
Notable comments from last week:
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Words of wisdom:
"Because despite all our troubles, when things are grim out in that wide round world of ours, that's when it's really important to have a good hobby." Posted by: tankascribe at June 22, 2024 07:41 PM (HWxAD).
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Reminder: if you put links in the comments, use a URL shortener and describe what you're linking to. Failing to do either or both makes you barrel-eligible. Don't make people click to find out what you're linking.
Send thoughts, suggestions and photos of your hobbying to moronhobbies at protonmail dot com. Or just email to say hello. Do mighty things.
In Switzerland, autumn brings a charming tradition — cows adorned with vibrant flowers and clanging bells are led down from alpine pastures to the valleys, marking their return for winter. pic.twitter.com/Gp7pKXkdWg
Extra vertebrae and free floating clavicle bones allow cats to pass their body through incredibly narrow spaces. Basically they can squeeze through any space larger than their skull. pic.twitter.com/FivOvWdGZe
Zuko was featured on the Pet thread twice. He was such a lovely dog, Perfect temperament, gentle and kind. He will be missed.
Roger
So sorry that you have lost Zuko. I looked back, and saw this note from you in August of 2023: "Recently, on our afternoon walks, he has taken to resting for few minutes beside the creek below our house. I believe he's looking for that bridge that gets mentioned here from time to time. I will continue enjoying our time together until he finds it."
You have picked a lovely photo for us to remember him by.
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i KT here are some photos of our resident bluebird enjoying a bath. Thanks for the gardening thread! -San Franpsycho
A charmer.
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Hi KT,
This is Fat Della, trying to clean her butt. She's wrecked that cabinet.
Miley
I need a name for a sleek black kitten with golden eyes like Della. Male. Neutered.
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PetMoron Adjacent Animals
Encountered by Members of The Horde
Hi! Mr Aspirin Factory here.
Not pets, but an invasive species. These are Jolo spiders, orb weavers from East Asia. They are everywhere and some sizeable.
So far they are in SC, NC, GA, and FL.
Ever been bitten by one? Ever touched one?
Here's a little video to go with the photos. You can share it with the kids. Maybe they will want a pet spider for Halloween.
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Thank you for sharing your pets and animal photos and stories with us today.
If you would like to send pet and/or animal stories, links, etc. for the Ace of Spades Pet Thread, the address is:
petmorons at protonmail dot com
Remember to include the nic or name by which you wish to be known when you comment at AoSHQ, or let us know if you want to remain a lurker.
Above, a special photo showing dedication to landscaping by Mr Jimm:
This first picture is the view outside the window of my home office. I sit at my desktop monitor and trade stock options (& read ace.mu.nu, of course) and see this view in front of me. Note the blue and pink hydrangeas in the foreground, the purple coneflowers, the red & yellow daylilies and the lawn in the middle ground, and the 2 pine trees & the crabapple between them in the background.
So I had a tattoo made of it last Thursday on my inner left forearm!
It's still healing a bit and the colors & details are coming through more clearly day by day. I keep it covered with a light coating of A&D cream for now and am doing my best to keep it out of the sun,
I count 15 different colors within this! It took 3 hours and it hurt like a m-f but I got by with a lot of winces and a couple of "oooch"s.
WOW!
Mr Jimm is The Horde's Personal Landscaper of the Year!
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Edible Gardening/Putting Things By
IT'S THE SEASON
I haven't grown them but a local store was roasting hatch green Chili's this morning. We bought a gunny stack of them and they roasted then for us.
AZ deplorable moron.
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Gardens of The Horde
CBD has formatted a little video of a hummer attracted to Salvia in Badgerwx's garden earlier in the season:
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This is Gossypium hirsutum 'Nankeen'. I started the seeds late so I'm not sure I'll get a mature boll but the fibers are brown(ish). The cotton first called nankeen is a Chinese species with yellow/brown fibers while this one is from Peru. With similar calored fibers the term nankeen ended up being applied to it too.
Lirio100
Nice information on cotton. It's illegal to buy cotton seeds like these where I live, because commercial cotton is grown nearby.
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Hope everyone has a nice weekend.
If you would like to send photos, stories, links, etc. for the Saturday Gardening Thread, the address is:
ktinthegarden at g mail dot com
Remember to include the nic or name by which you wish to be known at AoSHQ, or let us know if you want to remain a lurker.
There were a lot of good comments and recommendations on last week's thread. See also apple notes above.
A comment from the author of the special thread, Lex:
I looked at the post more closely now. I'm sorry my pickleball tourney (a charity fundraiser) coincided with the post being up. I like to respond live, but there were some nice pieces of advice. I definitely need to trim. I will do that more heavily in winter. Next year might be a wash but I'm hoping they can rebound in 2028.
Glad I got to write this out after almost 15 years. I've been at work on these things longer than Odysseus was away from Ithaca.
WeirdDave put an apple chart in the ONT last night, and the Wiki for Empire apple includes pollinizers for Empire apple.
The Apple Graph
Apple graph
does not include as many details as the Honeycrisp Apples blog concerning various apple variaties. Maybe we can discuss favorite varieties and what they are best for next week. Lex's apples were named after New York. Golden Delicious are low-acid and need refrigeration, are the parent of many apples on the market today.
Granny Smiths are especially hard to purchase tree-ripened.
Comments on last week's post are closed so you won't ban yourself by trying to comment on a week-old thread. But don't try it anyway.
There is only a little overlap with issues of illegal immigration. There is more overlap with the issue of fraud as Shirley's second shoe is dropping. Others are also dropping a few shoes.
California's High-Speed Rail Authority paid nearly $600,000 in unallowable travel reimbursements to outside consultants while keeping a poor record to justify them, a state investigation found.
This guy is pretty sensible. Does his take align with yours?
Denmark just gave Trump permanent security control over Greenland.
Today the United States signed what Trump is calling an "Infinite Life" Agreement with Denmark and Greenland. Permanent US control over Greenland's security. No adversary base, presence, or sensitive investment allowed there without US approval, ever. A large American military buildup starting immediately. And according to Trump, at no cost to the United States.
Rewind to January. Trump was floating outright annexation and refusing to rule out military force. Denmark's prime minister called the idea "completely absurd" and reminded everyone that Greenland was covered by NATO's collective defense guarantee. Eighty five percent of Greenlanders opposed joining the United States. Thousands marched in Copenhagen and Nuuk in the largest protest in Greenland's history. Every serious voice in Europe said this would never happen, that Trump was embarrassing himself, that Denmark would never fold.
Nine months later, the United States has what it wanted. Not annexation but something arguably more useful: permanent security control, indefinite basing rights, and a guarantee that no rival power ever gets a foothold on the most strategically located island on the planet, all without having to govern eighty thousand Greenlanders or fight a NATO ally over sovereignty.
The White House has not published the actual text yet, so how "permanent" is worked out with a future administration is a fair question. But the shape of what just happened is not in dispute. A goal that was universally mocked as fantasy in January is a signed agreement in September. Imagine that we move fast on rare earths and military presence, the outcry if a subsequent administration tried to help Russia and/or China by leaving would be immense.
This is not an isolated story. It is part of a pattern.
Tomorrow morning I am posting a longer piece walking through everything this administration has actually accomplished in foreign policy over the last two years. Panama. The Strait of Hormuz. The Strait of Malacca. Venezuela. Cuba. Greenland. Different chokepoints and flashpoints around the world, outcomes that critics called impossible when Trump first mentioned them, all wins now sitting on the board.
If you still think none of this matters, you are not making a serious argument. You are just unable to admit something good happened.
“Trump’s new deal with Greenland is exactly the same as the old one!”
Not true at all. Key new details:
Duration: The 1951 deal lasted only as long as NATO existed and Greenland remained part of NATO. Trump’s 2026 deal lasts indefinitely, even if NATO implodes or Greenland…
Patriot Haym Salomon is arrested by the British as a spy.
Salomon, a rich businessman from New York, is a primary financier of the Continental Army.
He died in 1785 with significant personal debt.
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WEEKEND
The Week In Pictures: Sydney Sweeney Goes AI Edition
This was one of those weeks when a lot of the main stories–the meme stories, anyway–are holdovers. The Lindsay Clancy trial continued to reverberate. The 9/11 commemoration, and liberal responses thereto, went on. Canada remained in the news by proposing to become an associate member of the European Union. Which makes sense, given that Canada has heretofore been an associate member of the Western Hemisphere.
But some stories were new: Sydney Sweeney came under attack because she took off her clothes in service of a marketing campaign, something apparently never before seen in the world of advertising. An anti-AI campaign materialized out of nowhere, much like the COVID panic and global warming. Many were suspicious.
Beyond that, is was, for memesters, bombs away on liberalism, as usual. So here goes: The Week In Pictures, Sydney Sweeney goes AI Edition:
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What will you miss as Hollywood goes under?
Hollywood has not been kind to James Woods lately, but he remembers better times:
The greatest detective character created for television, cast with an actor so perfect, so charming, so subtly powerful in the role, it can never be "reimagined."
Thank God.
Peter Falk was born today in 1927. Here's his statue on Falk Miksa Street in Budapest. pic.twitter.com/3VoDbVcgED
The Classical Saturday Morning Coffee Break & Prayer Revival
—Misanthropic Humanitarian
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Good morning boys and girls and everything in between. Before we enter the Prayer Revival there are just a few house keeping matters to go over. (Rulz for those of you in Wrightstown)
1) This is an open thread. Feel free to lurk, opine and/or bloviate. Saying a prayer or two can't hurt either.
2) Be kind. Be nice.
3) No running with sharp objects, your disappointment has been noted. Duly noted.
4) Have a great weekend!!!
Please submit any prayer requests to me, “Annie’s Stew” at apaslo at-sign hotmail dot com. Prayer requests are generally removed after four weeks unless we receive an update.
Prayer Requests:
7/25 – Teresa in Fort Worth posted an update. She is still doing fine. Her chemo pump seems to be working and everything appears stable for now. She says she is incredibly blessed! She is working on a stocking for an as-yet-not-born grandchild. She would appreciate prayers for a successful IVF procedure and pregnancy for her daughter and hubby. Next week, Teresa and her husband will be going to California to visit their daughter who lives there and her family.
8/4 Update – Teresa was admitted to the hospital while on vacation in California. She has a bad infection – cellulitis - not due to the cancer. She is being treated with antibiotics and hopefully it will be cleared up in a couple of days.
8/28 Update – Teresa’s bloodwork is back, and everything looks steady. She has a CT scan on 9/4.
9/17 Update- Well, there is good news and bad news -
First, the bad news is that I have a 9mm mass in my lung, which means that the cancer has metastasized outside of the liver. The pump is keeping the cancer in my liver at bay for now.
The good news is that they can zap the nodule out of my lung and will keep an eye out to see if more nodules appear. As long as this is the only one, the radiation should do the job for now. However, now that it has moved, we know that at some point we will have to find another protocol to deal with any cancer which shows up outside of the liver. I may end up going back on Lytgobi; I don't know if there are any other options at this point.
Just wanted to keep you apprised of the current situation; I meet with a radiation oncologist next Friday and will be making an appointment for the procedure after that.
7/30 – David sent an update on his wife, Susan, who we have been praying for as she is treated for cancer. Susan is still doing well and her numbers are headed in the right direction, but they are still having issues with the side effects of the chemotherapy. It is manageable, but they have to increase the number of office visits for additional treatments. Some days are really good right now, but others are only bearable with the Lord’s grace. They are so grateful for the prayers on their behalf.
8/26 Update – Susan’s cough has gotten so bad that they did X-rays on her chest. It might be pneumonia. She is in the hospital. Her sodium and blood pressure are low and she is not eating much now. They are trying to turn this around and ask for everyone’s prayers.
9/2 Update – Susan is back in the ICU. She either has an infection or the cancer has spread to her lungs. Either way, thank you all for your thoughts and prayers for Susan and please continue them.
9/3 Update – Thank you to everyone for their thoughts and prayers for Susan. They are expecting her to pass into the hands of the Lord in the next day or so. Please pray for them.
8/8 – Ace-Endorsed Author A. H. Lloyd posted that Mrs. Lloyd will undergo a double mastectomy to remove the breast cancer. She has advanced to Stage 1. Much hinges on the biopsy to determine the specific sub-category of cancer and whether chemo is necessary. Please pray for her in this time of need.
8/22 Update – Mrs. Lloyd is healing ahead of schedule and the surgeon was amazed at her progress. She is still in pain and has limited mobility, but each day she is gaining more freedom of movement. That is the good news; the bad news was the unrealistic expectations set by the medical staff. The surgery was much more significant, and she will also need chemo, contrary to what she was told before.
8/27 – P asks for prayers for the soul of her nephew, C, who committed suicide on 8/17. He was only 32. May he find the peace in the afterlife that he could not find in this life.
8/26 – Teresa in Fort Worth asks for prayers for her BIL, Dick, who was found dead in the alley behind the house in Texas. He had been in declining health and had dementia. They aren’t sure how long he was outside before he passed away. Teresa’s SIL seems to be handling it okay so far. Teresa also asks for prayers for a former neighbor, Melissa, who is hospitalized, recovering from a second stem cell/bone marrow transplant as they attempt to cure her leukemia. She now has blood blisters in her mouth and throat. She had to be intubated before her throat closed completely. This might be her body rejecting the transplant.
8/27 – “…” asked for prayers for healing (and sleep) for Brit Lass. She is having tests, and so far they are good, but she is worried. She has an imaging test coming up and then an appointment with a surgeon.
8/30 – SPinRH_F-16 requested prayers for classmate “D.B.”, who has ALS. Please pray that he remains as comfortable as possible and for support for his family as they see him through this. Thank you in advance for your earnest prayers.
9/2 – Bulg asked for prayers for purpose in his life.
9/4 – bluebell sent an update on grammie winger. Grammie was diagnosed with epilepsy now. And she is back in the hospital. They would love prayers for comfort and peace for her.
9/10 – Annie’s Stew asks for prayers for her husband as he recovers from knee surgery.
9/10 – D asked for prayers for the memory of 9/11. May the Lord comfort people in the grief, and may it bring people closer to God.
9/12 – FenelonSpoke asked for prayers for the W family for comfort and strength as they grieve. The deceased was a sweet 92 year old, despite some big tragedies in her life.
9/15 – Sal asked for prayers as wildfires are out of control in the north of the area and threatening the county seat. They are evacuating part of the town. Sal is not in any danger.
For submission guidelines and other relevant info, please contact Annie's Stew, who is managing the prayer list. You can contact her at apaslo at-sign hotmail dot com. If you see a prayer request posted in a thread comment, feel free to copy and paste it and e-mail it to Annie's Stew. She tries to keep up with the requests in the threads, but she's not here all of the time, so she may not see it unless you e-mail it to her. Please note: Prayer requests are generally removed after four weeks or so unless we receive an update.
2 Corinthians 4:8-9
We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair, persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed.
Of course the people who live in that part of Bolivia knew about it all along - that's why it has a common name, the tilcayo. It's related to the oncilla, which is related to the ocelot, but genetic comparisons showed that it it a distinct species.
The funny part is that while it does have a common name, nobody knows where the name comes from; it's not derived from a Spanish or native word. It's called the tilcayo because that's what it's called.
by Mark Denney
He doesn't say where this is but it looks like Patagonia.
After getting a call about a "weird cat," biologists say they've identified a new species of cat. I've got news for these "biologists," if a weird cat is a news species, there are about 100 million new species of cat.
So if you're on a truck going 80 kph but your are thrown backwards by a launch-rail that accelerates you to 80 kph in the opposite direction, do you just wind up standing in place?
This man trusted his life to physics. He was ejected at 80 km/h from a truck that was traveling at 80 km/h. pic.twitter.com/3Q3gKyIl6P
According to former Democrat Party National Fundraising Committee member Lindy Li, the Party conducted a top-secret poll to gauge the strength of the various pols who could replace Biden. Kamala Harris came in dead last.
But they grimly made her their candidate because of the DEI imperative of placating black female Democrats.
"The polling numbers went directly against the narrative that the party wanted to espouse," Li said.
Party members floated Pete Buttigieg, Gavin Newsom, and Gretchen Whitmer internally as replacements. According to Li, every one of them tested better than Kamala. Asked why the party buried its own numbers anyway, Li said, "They knew that skipping over Kamala Harris would be a slap in the face to the bedrock of the party, which is black women in particular, and they just wouldn't have it."
The details get more embarrassing from there. "Kamala Harris came in dead last," Li said. "It wasn't even close. Pete Buttigieg, who hilariously received 0% support from the black vote, did better than she did. And yet the party is so straitjacketed by DEI that they had no choice but to appoint her."
A man was stabbed in Seattle's Pioneer Square on Sunday. He's in critical condition.
An investigation is underway after a stabbing victim boarded the Link light rail Sunday afternoon in Seattle's Pioneer Square neighborhood.
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Firefighters then arrived and treated the approximately 30-year-old man, before paramedics transported him to Harborview Medical Center -- where he remains in critical condition as of Sunday night.
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As of the SPD's last update, the suspect remains at large with no description given. Police also did not say that there was a threat to the public.
The reported stabbing took place a few blocks from the nearest active city CCTV camera at 3rd Avenue and Yesler Way, while other city CCTV cameras that are installed throughout Pioneer Square, remain turned off since the end of the FIFA World Cup in early-July, as an ongoing audit determines the security of their data from federal authorities and their efficacy.
Asked directly if the suspect could have been identified if the cameras were on, Wilson's black female police chief (of course) takes so long to answer (because the answer is "Yes, obviously") that Katie Wilson steps in to answer for her. She admits that of course cameras are "helpful," but wants to keep them shut off.
Mahmoud Khalil, the Algerian citizen who has spent the better part of his four years in the United States participating in unlawful demonstrations at Columbia University, is suing everyone he can.
Facing imminent deportation for his role in Columbia University Apartheid Divest -- the group that claims to be working toward the downfall of Western civilization -- Khalil is showing some real nerve.
On Monday, he filed a lawsuit against Columbia and the dean of his master's degree program, claiming they failed to protect him and his fellow window-smashers from discrimination and harassment.
Cry harder, Fruit of Islam
It's not the first time Khalil has sought protection under the laws of the constitutional system he advocates overthrowing.
In March 2025, Khalil sued Columbia and several federal lawmakers to stop the university from turning over students' disciplinary records to Congress.
Had Congress seen that Columbia failed to expel anti-Israel fanatics who destroyed school property, trespassed, and falsely imprisoned custodial staff, the government might have concluded that universities weren't taking discrimination against Israelis and Jews seriously.
Khalil and his comrades may dream of a world without a First Amendment, but they were happy to invoke it to protect themselves.
In July 2026, he sued multiple government officials, think tanks and other nonprofits, arguing they conspired to have him deported.
Apparently he believes that private organizations making political arguments are not protected by the First Amendment, while destroying property and disobeying police are sacred civil rights.
To summarize: Anyone looking to hold Khalil and his fellow professional agitators accountable for documented lawbreaking is violating civil rights law -- and anyone trying to protect the students those agitators wanted to intimidate is violating the First Amendment.
Any questions?
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Living in a free country means putting up with that nonsense -- to an extent.
It does not mean we have to allow our enemies to undermine us on our home turf.
Khalil is not a citizen and would make a very bad one if he became one; he should be sent home before that happens.
He is free to criticize the Great Satan of America and the Little Satan of Israel from Algeria or Syria.
Maybe a sign of progress? University of Alabama at Birmingham offers a degree in "LGBT Health and Wellbeing" -- which consists of just watching all the "Stefon" sketches on SNL -- but at the moment there are zero point zero students enrolled in it.
The University of Alabama at Birmingham's LGBTQ Health and Wellbeing certificate recorded zero students in fall 2024 and fall 2025, the school's self-reported enrollment information reveals.
The data show that the certificate reported one student in fall 2023, when coursework for the program began, before dropping to zero in fall 2024 and remaining at zero in fall 2025.
The report states that students are counted under their primary degree program, so students pursuing the certificate while in another program may be excluded. The certificate is housed under the School of Public Health.
Despite its zero reported enrollment, the university continues to advertise the certificate on its website. Only one other School of Public Health graduate certificate, Disability Health Studies, recorded zero students in fall 2025.
Some good news: A non-profit is being set-up to defend conservatives from the left's unending lawfare:
DataRepublican (small r)
@DataRepublican
This is a big announcement. Leftists have had their own free legal representation for decades. Conservatives haven't.
This is because traditionally, conservatives have thought of politics as winning the debate. It's comfortable. It's institutional. They don't have to be "mean" to anyone.
Until, enter Oversight Project ( @ItsYourGov). Think of them as an actiontank instead of thinktank. The first such organization for conservatives to meet leftists on their own terms.
Creating the first-ever home for conservatives affected by lawfare is just the start.
BREAKING: The Lake Worth Beach City Commission moves to DISQUALIFY a candidate for City Manager because he's not Guatemalan enough.
"He did not grow up very Guatemalan... he grew up pretty much Italian... he did not learn Spanish... he has no connection to the indigenous… pic.twitter.com/aoy8EaH0di
Female athlete: Oh My God, the non-athlete that nobody thinks is an athlete because she's obviously an actress is making everyone think that female athletes want to be sexualized:
The same female athlete: Check out my CAKE! It's luscious!
The Department of Health and Human Services has a challenge for American parents and children: "Live real life."
I think that's a challenge for all of us.
For example, garrett spends most of his days online trolling for gay cyberex. That's no way to live. He should be out there in the real world, dressed like a highway pirate from The Road Warrior, giving handjobs under the bridge.
The way it used to be.
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HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. exclaimed, "Today, adolescents -- a 16-year-old spends an average of 8.5 hours a day on screens. Even toddlers spend two, three hours on screens every day. Only one in four high school students has at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day." No wonder kids are unhealthier, lonelier, and more dysfunctional than ever.
Dr. Mehmet Oz, the Medicare and Medicaid administrator, pointed out, "This is the first generation of young people in America who are not growing up living just with their screens. They're living through their screens."
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Kennedy reflected on his own experience in childhood. "You know, when I was growing up, I spent a lot of time in the woods, and walking in creeks, and outside playing with my brothers and sisters playing sports in the yard, getting scrapes, climbing trees, catching animals, and that connected me to something larger than myself."
Such an experience, Kennedy noted, "was shared by 10,000 generations of human beings that lived before there were laptops, before there were smartphones, and we have responsibility as parents, and as a government health agency. to do everything we can to get our children out into those experiences again, and prepare them for life." This is how we transform the future.
This is the way.
On the other hand: the left-wing fascists are now actively urging their weak, fat followers to be even weaker and fatter than they are now. "Fascists," by which they mean "non-communist mutant normies," may be fit, but it a revolutionary virtue to be weak and unhealthy.
Here, here! I support this agenda with all of my soul.
Our children get one childhood, and we cannot allow screens to replace the real-world experiences they need to grow and thrive.
Through the Office of the Surgeon General’s Live Real Life initiative, we are giving families practical tools to put technology in its proper place… pic.twitter.com/tO3XRPi9aK
🚨 Da'Shaun L. Harrison at Socialism 2026 argues that the policing of "Black fat flesh" is foundational to broader "entire systems of governance."
"Without a population to discipline, there would be no BMI, no obesity epidemic, and no medical or scientific institutions organized around managing fatness," Harrison says.
Harrison argues that diet culture trains "obedience," "self-denial," and "discipline," before expanding the framework into what Harrison calls "body fascism."
That includes state efforts to define which bodies are protected or erased, calls for sovereignty intended to maintain borders, and the treatment of Black flesh itself.
Harrison then turns to Ozempic and other GLP-1 drugs, arguing that the broader effort to treat fatness as a public-health problem cannot be separated from Blackness.
At this point, I am genuinely at a loss for words.
🚨 Da’Shaun L. Harrison at Socialism 2026 argues that the policing of “Black fat flesh” is foundational to broader "entire systems of governance."
“Without a population to discipline, there would be no BMI, no obesity epidemic, and no medical or scientific institutions organized… pic.twitter.com/GP4foaTgUJ
🚨 "The More Dysgenic, the Better": Beatrice Adler-Bolton Says the Left Must Give Up the "Fantasy of Being Fitter Than the Fascists"
At Socialism 2026, Adler-Bolton argues that "fitness is a measure of relative disposability under capitalism" and says the goal should not be to become "more useful to the ruling order."
She says the left should not try to beat fascists "at their own game" by becoming "fitter, more eugenic."
"In fact, the more dysgenic, the better, I think."
She closes by arguing that revolution is not "a contest between optimized and properly prepared bodies" and that the very idea is itself fascist.
🚨 “The More Dysgenic, the Better”: Beatrice Adler-Bolton Says the Left Must Give Up the “Fantasy of Being Fitter Than the Fascists”
At Socialism 2026, Adler-Bolton argues that “fitness is a measure of relative disposability under capitalism” and says the goal should not be to… pic.twitter.com/aK13lgiVGH
Anyone have any gains to report? Or any interests, hobbies, or projects to promote/recommend?
I did a quick 48 hour fast. Supposedly, a fast this short (actually, the "Monk Fast" is supposed to go for 36 hours) does not result in any loss of muscle, but gives you a quick bit of weight control.
It also gets you back into ketosis if you've fallen off due to one too many cheat days. I did the 48 hour fast ten days ago and I remained in ketosis since then despite not being super-low carb, just moderately low-carb. I went out of it again this morning (after having some french fries) so I guess I'll try it again on Monday and Tuesday and see if I get the same result.
Stephen Colbert swung by ABC and Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Tuesday to celebrate his Emmy win and to reflect back on his days as host of The Late Show. Colbert claimed to be much happier now that he is no longer hosting the show because he doesn't have to "drink a cup of poison" every day by immersing himself in the news, but neither he nor Kimmel appeared to realize that nobody was forcing them to do that in the first place.
Kimmel began by simply wondering, "Do you think about it ever?" and Colbert answered by quipping, "Nope. I have an opportunity to not think about the news every day? And I took it."
Rewinding to Monday's Emmy Awards, Kimmel observed, "Yeah, you know what, when I saw you last night, or what was--yeah, last night, I felt like you--I don't know, you seemed like a different person. You seemed happier. You seemed healthier."
Colbert retorted, "Like I don't drink a cup of poison every day?"
After Kimmel affirmed, "Yeah. Like that," Colbert recalled, "Because part of the job is--the old gig as I remember it, was that to be lowered like carbon rods into a radioactive pool every day and then to be pulled out and put in front of a camera. And to eradiate it back at the audience at a nonlethal rad level."
intranet image
Kimmel agreed, "That's right. That's exactly the job description."
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At no point did it become necessary for comedians to become indistinguishable from MS NOW hosts.
Stephen Colbert says that he's feeling better not hosting a late night show because "the old gig as I remember it was that to be lowered like carbon rods into a radioactive pool every day. And then to be pulled out and put in front of a camera and to eradiate it back at the… pic.twitter.com/IhzvSmdgN1
Filmmaker Lilly Wachowski is working to get her next project, "The Hunted," out of late-stage production. But the "Bound" and "Matrix" director says nobody in Hollywood wants to finance the thriller, which is budgeted at around $10 million, because of its trans representation.
"People like it, but they really don't want to make it because it's [got a] wall-to-wall trans cast," Wachowski said on KCRW's "The Business" podcast last Friday. "I have to get creative and figure out different ways that I can get this in front of people."
"This is a script that was extremely important for me to write," she continued. "It was a response to what is happening in the world for trans people, and it gave me a hugely cathartic receptacle to dump all of my anger and rage and frustration into."
Oh great, it propagandizes "trans rage" as trans people keep violently attacking normies.
I think I saw Midnight's Edge point out that if "she" really wants to make the movie, "she" can self-fund it. They pointed out that actor/legend Bruce Campell wanted to make a movie, so he funded it himself.
Now "Lilly" blasts everyone for not supporting and centering the Trans Experience, and for supporting JK Rowling.
Lilly Wachowski on Her New Studio Anarchists United, the Black Power Origins of 'The Matrix' and How 'Harry Potter' Fans Are 'Supporting Trans Genocide'
The visionary filmmaker behind 'The Matrix' opens up about her new studio for marginalized voices, J.K. Rowling and Elon Musk.
The "journalist" here talks about the "Trans Tipping Point" when transgenders pressured studios into casting them in TV shows.
But that golden age, which lasted all the way from 2015 to 2023, is faded.
Then came the backlash. Republican politicians and pundits began zeroing in on trans rights, treating it as a wedge issue in order to distract from Trump's economic failings. A moral panic ensued. Just last year, more than 600 anti-trans bills were introduced at the state level in the U.S., and 29 states adopted restrictive laws pertaining to trans people. And Hollywood followed suit, scaling back its trans representation. Cox recently shared she'd lost 90% of her income amid Trump and his minions' war on trans people and DEI.
I think the "backlash" was less about a trans actor being on Orange Is the New Black and more about the state using its power to force parents to trans their children and propagandize more children into cutting off their genitals.
[WACHOWSKI:]
The story is: I was talking to Sarah Marie Flores, who is our third in the triumvirate of the Anarchists -- between me and Lawrence Mattis -- and was coming out of this TV show that I'd worked on that I was really proud of, "Work in Progress"...
A TV show about a middle-aged lesbian dating a trans man. It is, as they say in Hollywood, a "Four-Quadrant Blockbuster," appealing to all four major demographics: Lesbians, AWFULs, trannies, and ten year old drag queens.
...which went for two seasons, got on all these top ten lists and didn't get the viewing numbers that the studio wanted, so we were summarily canceled and a few months later pulled from streaming....
Oh, no one watched your extremely niche show and so they cancelled it? That's so unfair and discriminatory.
He then pulls the card the gay/trans/DEI writers always pull: We didn't get ratings or sales but we got good reviews from the woke reviewers and that's even more important.
So, when Showtime turned around and canceled the show even though it was so critically acclaimed and really made for peanuts, it lit a fire under me.
More whining:
You're right. We were at this "trans tipping point" where you had Laverne Cox on the cover of Time magazine and the NCAA deciding to pull the Men's Basketball Tournament out of North Carolina if they decided to institute these bathroom bans that would harm trans people.
...
it's that billionaires started pumping out negative propaganda against trans people. They started creating reports about kids with litter boxes, and the Cass report came out in the U.K. -- that has since been debunked but has been used as this cudgel against trans people. This idea of "trans surgery for minors" -- they're still saying this shit. Jesse Watters was talking to the Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed about cutting kids' tallywackers off. None of this is happening! This is all right-wing propaganda against trans people. That is what has caused the shift.
Notice they always do the same thing: They claim that zero children are undergoing surgical "transitions" but when you say "Okay if that's true, let's make it illegal so we know for sure it won't happen," they say "YOU CAN'T DO THAT! THAT'S VITAL TRANS-AFFIRMING CARE!"
So which is it? Is it something that never happens and that it's "misinformation" to say it happens, or is it vital gender-affirming care that kids need?
Choose one.
While that's happening, our industry is being consolidated into these corporate monoliths that are run by people like Larry Ellison, and Larry Ellison is a radical conservative idealogue.
He's a normie who wants to make money.
Here "Lilly" expresses the real leftwing objection to Paramount/Skydance buying Warner Bros: CNN might not be as reliable an agitprop channel.
It's completely bonkers! They're like these Death Stars. They want CNN because they want to make it into Fox News. I got involved with Anarchists and I had written this script ["The Hunted"] with my partner as this receptacle for all my anger. I was using it as this piece of art that was an incredibly cathartic experience to write, and it was a salve for both of us. It's political, but to be trans in this world that we live in is political. My body is political.
He objects to Elon Musk using the expression "Take the red pill," insisting that "take the red pill" really means "embrace trans lifestyles."
Oh, so "Lilly's" next project is another Four-Quadrant Blockbuster, called "Cassie Workman is Witchy AF."
Witchy. Very 2011 MySpace. And "AF" -- you know, "AF" lost its cache as a meme five years ago, right?
Elon Musk and J.K. Rowling are two people who have inflicted an enormous amount of cultural damage on the trans community. What are your thoughts on them?
I mean... these people are Nazis. They're literal Nazis. There is a one-to-one connection between Elon Musk and the Nazi community. He did a full-blown Sieg Heil on a national stage. I think that the global community needs to firewall the U.S. from their populaces in a way because this country has allowed Nazi propaganda to proliferate at such a degree that it has become dangerous to the global population. As much as another country can, I think they need to be fighting back against hate speech and shutting those platforms down. They've had some success in Brazil and Europe, but it's kind of over for the U.S. and the U.K. at the moment. What Twitter does and what Meta does in the U.K... they're cooked.
...
[JK Rowling] is funding trans genocide. J.K. Rowling funds trans genocide, full stop. So, if you support "Harry Potter," you're supporting trans genocide. The money that goes into you enjoying these products, a portion of that money goes to J.K. Rowling and that money goes into her funding anti-trans legislation all over the world. In the same way that if you are against Elon Musk, you boycott or don't buy Tesla; and if you're against global warming/climate change, you try not to buy as much gas, you try to mitigate your use of these products. It's simple math. So, your enjoyment of these shows, and continued support of these shows, is supporting my eradication.
Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) speaks to the people of Zion in "The Matrix Reloaded."
It's so weird that other people don't want to work with this endlessly-raging headcase.
He thinks he can leverage people's declining interest in "The Matrix" into embracing his psychotically-angry and deranged worldview.
York PA Police Repeatedly Refuse to Shut Down a Black "Teen Takeover" Near Campus Housing, Even After Four 911 Calls; Eventually the Thugs Drag White Female College Students by the Hair and Beat Them Senseless
—Disinformation Expert Ace
"Decarceration" plus "equity in justice."
You can't send young thugs to jail because that's just the "school to jail" pipeline.
And we must generally empty the prisons, because prisons are racist.
And also, we need Equity in who gets sent to jail, so if black men commit crimes at 6-8 the rates of whites, we're just going to have to immunize 75% of black criminals from the law so that we can get those numbers to look good.
Also, it's Racist Misinformation to report actual crimes involving black people, so the media is going to have to embargo the story and smear anyone pointing it out as a racist.
And here you go. College students repeatedly called the cops to complain of a "teen takeover" right in their street and the cops, not wanting to arrest black thugs -- gotta keep those numbers down, we can't have a "school to jail" pipeline -- simply refused to even do a drive-by to scare the rioters off.
Eventually, the rioters started beating up girls who disrespected them by just being on their own porch.
Pennsylvania college students beaten unconscious, dragged by hair as mob invades off-campus house
By Nicholas McEntyre
Several female Pennsylvania college students were brutally assaulted by a mob of agitators who had invaded their off-campus house during an apparent illegal street takeover.
The unidentified coeds, who attend York College of Pennsylvania, were dragged by the hair, punched, kicked, maced and beaten unconscious in the attack as they were sitting on the front porch of their rental home Saturday morning, according to Fox 43.
Whose porch? OUR PORCH!
"After the first punch was given, all these girls started to rush us, and that's where it kind of gets blurry because I think people were coming at me... I turn and see my friend get dragged by her hair down our porch steps and disappear. My other friend got dragged by her hair," one of the students told the outlet.
Dozens of suspects pummeled one of the students as she lay on the ground while a separate group of assailants unleashed a barrage of punches at another girl outside the home, according to videos obtained by Fox 43 and WGAL.
The violent attack took place just north of campus on the 300 block of W Jackson Street in York, Pa.
Hundreds of people had shown up to the area for an illegal street race when commotion drew the crowd to the students' location.
The students claim the heated confrontation was ignited when one of the suspects verbally accosted the group outside their home just before 1:50 a.m. as they told the mob to leave the property.
"One of the cars street racing smashed into a parked car by the firehouse, which is right next to the house. When this happened, all of the townies migrated over towards the house and on the grass. We all asked them to move off the property, and that's when everything erupted," one of the victims told Fox 43.
"I remember looking at our friend in the knee brace when I got caught off guard and ripped by my hair off the porch," she said. "From then, I was dragged to the stop sign and that's when everyone jumped me. I was getting kicked by probably 12 people at the same time."
The student said she was defenseless because she was trying to hold her tube top up with one of her arms as she was pummeled in the face.
The one victim believes she blacked out at least twice during the assault, once when she was kicked in the ribs and another when she was struck in the head.
Only after the fifth 911 call, when informed the mob was beating girls unconscious, did the police dare to interrupt the Mostly Peaceful Street Takeover.
Actual Justice Warrior -- video linked below -- notes that the media is downplaying this, when they report on it at all. The local media reports it as the girls "claiming" to be beaten, despite the attack being filmed by the thugs themselves, and further suggests this is just a "fight" or "brawl" and that maybe it was the white college girls who picked a fight with the black mob that took over their street.
York PA police have NOT ARRESTED A SINGLE PERSON... after a MASSIVE MOB of Black "teens" dragged a White female college student off her own porch BY HER HAIR, dragged her to a stop sign, and then beat her UNCONSCIOUS... TWICE...
Here's a list of news networks who have NOT covered the brutal beating of a White woman in York PA:
- NYTimes
- CNN
- Washington Post
- MSNBC
- NPR
- USA Today
- Reuters
- Axios
- ABC News
Every single one of them wrote stories on George Floyd...
...do you get it yet?!!!!!!!!
Here's a local report calling it a "brawl" and casting doubt on the victims' claims of being beaten, saying they're "demanding action after saying they were attacked."
They're saying it? It's on video.
Compare the deep skepticism of a videotaped lynching to the media's immediate acceptance and promotion of the Jussie Smollet race hoax.
Rabid Left-Wing Students Waved "Kirkaversary" Celebration Cakes Smeared with Fake Blood in Conservative Students' Faces. The Conservative Students Filmed This Display. The University Moved to Expel the Students -- For Filming the Death-Celebrants!
—Disinformation Expert Ace
Isabel Brown
@theisabelb
Sep 16
This week, the University of Utah is perpetuating perhaps the most grave injustice against conservative students I've ever seen.
Rylie is the Vice President of College Republicans at @UUtah, and is currently being threatened with EXPULSION by the University because she perpetuated "threatening and endangering behavior" by taking a photo of Sara, a student involved with College Democrats, when Sara showed up to their table last week with a "Happy Kirkaversary" cake smeared in fake blood & waved it around in Rylie's face.
Of course, *that* wasn't threatening behavior in any way, but Rylie taking a photo of the exchange completely legally is apparently grounds for EXPULSION.
If you are an alumnus of the University of Utah, call the Alumni Department TODAY and demand the Administration honor Rylie's legal right to take a photo. And if you donate money in any way, shape, or form to U of U, STOP immediately. These people are not your ally.
Praying for you and cheering you on, @Rylieparis05!
BREAKING: UVU threatens conservative students Riley Barnes and Riley Beesley with EXPULSION for supposedly "doxxing" a liberal student who went up to their group, mocking Charlie Kirk's death with a cake that said "Happy Kirkaversary".
🚨 WTF?! The University of Utah student who CELEBRATED Charlie Kirk’s assassination in a viral photo is now trying to get Rylie, the patriotic student who called her out, EXPELLED@UUtah better choose their next steps WISELY unless they want DOJ involved
One of the two students threatened with expulsion says that the University had -- under pressure, I assume -- stopped all of its harassment and told them there is no basis for disciplinary action.
MY CASE IS FULLY DISMISSED.
This wouldn’t have happened without the outpour of support we received online. Thank you!
Podcast: Did the SCOTUS leftists slow-walk the USPS decision, Newsom's mendacious pledge not to run if Harris does, Canada's return to the trade negotiations, AI fear-mongering, The Goo Goo Dolls are adults, and more!
Forgotten 80s Mystery Click, Guitar Hero Edition Oh here it comes
That funny feeling again winding me up inside
Every time we touch
Hey I don't know
Oh, tell me where to begin cause I never ever
Felt so much
Okay, that was pretty easy. Here's one that's 3% harder. But still easy. Ooh, can you feel the static?
So many contacts being made
We've got up-front fanatics
Tearing down the barricade
To reach the stage
Can you feel the rage?
Podcast: Is the Iran situation reaching a steady state? The UK sides with the enemies of the West, Vance the Squish? France and Germany and their coming elections, Canada trade war is one-sided, and Clancy is evil incarnate!
Dear RNC; Go f*ck yourselves. I have gotten 56 texts in the last two weeks...all offensive and sneaky and all begging for money. At this point I would rather donate to AOC. [CBD]
"The irresponsible reports that have been published stating that Maria Bartiromo was fired or is no longer an employee of Fox are absolutely and unequivocally false," Freedman said Friday. "Make no mistake, we have the receipts and witnesses and they will come out whether through the courthouse or otherwise."
He added: "Those reporting her firing or the incredulous facts supporting that fiction have exhibited a complete and utter reckless disregard for the truth."
from anon2020 So what, she quit?
Megyn Kelly (accursed be her name) used to say all the time that Fox has a top female PR person who is a nasty pitbull and leaks nasty claims about anyone Fox is at war with, including those who have left the network. So I guess maybe she technically resigned? I don't know.
NEW: @FoxNews has obtained Lindsay Clancy defense attorney Kevin Reddington's appeal filing to the MA Supreme Court, which includes Reddington accusing the lone holdout juror of being "biased" against those with "debilitating mental illness", which he says is a protected category.
Holiday Break: I've had a rough couple of weeks -- the shoulder is healing now and I'm finally getting decent sleep -- and I've decided to take a long weekend.
I'm taking Friday off, and then Monday off, too. I have Open Threads for both days and I will post if big news breaks, but if it doesn't -- and it probably won't, news is slow before a holiday weekend -- I'm going to take a four day weekend.
Sh0eOnHead discusses the Psychotic Cult of Lindsay
Real quotes:
"This case has me feeling like I'm on Law & Order with you guys!"
"We literally binge true crime as a hobby, we've been trained for this moment" Worth the watch. If you haven't seen the genuinely upsetting insanity motivating thousands of women, you should watch this just to see how society is crumbling. Ban TikTok, Trump. I don't care if Barron tells you it's popular with the yutes. It is an evil Communist China op and it is driving women insane.
Dolly Parton tells the story of the supposedly real-life Jolene As Andrew Branca says, can we see this Jolene, finally? Who was this hottie that was a genuine sexual threat to Dolly Parton? I think this is Fake News personally. When a magician claims he learned a trick from a Himalayan wise man, I don't believe him either.
