Ace: aceofspadeshq at gee mail.com
Buck: buck.throckmorton at protonmail.com
CBD: cbd at cutjibnewsletter.com
joe mannix: mannix2024 at proton.me
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
It's all fun and games until your fingers get frostbite from the freezing glass!
Specifically, my left thumb gets very, very cold when I hold my glass at the top of the stem or around the bowl. Sure, I could hold it part way down the stem, or even by the base, but that is less stable, less pleasant, and slows my drinking, and thus my enjoyment.
I have considered many solutions, including wearing gloves, using insulated glasses (they are horrendously ugly!), or simply burning the house down every evening during cocktail hour so as to have a source of warmth for my left thumb.
None of these are optimal. I could also switch to hot drinks (yuck..almost as bad as a shaken Manhattan), or even forego cocktails altogether and start with wine.
But that is bowing to primitivism, and I will not give in!
Becoming An American, Or Even Entering The Country Is Not A Right...It Should Be A Rare Privilege
—CBD
That headline should not be controversial. In fact it should be axiomatic. For most of our history our immigration policy was to allow almost unfettered immigration with a few restrictions. Criminals, the ill and infirm, and then in the 20th century, illiterates, were not allowed into America. After World War I the immigration restrictions recognized country of origin, with the goal of keeping the ethnic character of the country about the same.
And that wasn't all! There were political restrictions created by the various immigration acts of the first part of the century after the assassination of William McKinley, trying to keep out the budding revolutionary fervor in Europe. Anarchists, socialists, simple political radicalism...all were restricted. In fact, America deported immigrants who espoused overt anti-American beliefs.
But in 1990, that changed. The immigration act of that year removed most ideological restrictions, in favor of "security restrictions." And who? The usual suspects! The ACLU and other civil rights organizations, academia, and the left in Congress all agitated for relaxing political restrictions. Why is just as easily answered; keeping the post-Cold War leftists out of America was deemed to be "un-American," and in violation of our free speech rights and other civil liberties. Left unanswered was why foreigners should be afforded the rights protected by the United States Constitution!
Conspicuously absent was any recognition of Islam as a malign force whose sole objective was the subjugation of the world and the creation of a global caliphate. That sounds like a security risk as well as a political risk!
As many increasingly argue that the U.S. immigration system is too lenient, four incidents in less than two weeks are being investigated or classified as terrorist attacks linked to Islamist extremism. Most of the alleged perpetrators are naturalized U.S. citizens.
Throughout history, we have expected people who immigrated here to become assimilated to the American culture. And I think over the last 30 years or so, there's been this idea that we no longer need to do that, and this is an example of the consequences of those kinds of bad policies," Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyo., told Just The News.
"We need to be more nimble when things are changing on the world stage, in the geopolitical realm. We need to be able to say, 'Now, wait a minute, maybe for right now, in light of the fact that we've got a war in the Middle East where we're attempting to take out the state sponsor of terrorism and free the world from the stranglehold that they've had for 47 years, should we maybe be reconsidering what we're doing in terms of bringing people into this country?'"
With all due respect (that means no respect at all, unless it is earned), we should not be "more nimble." The goal of American immigration policy should be the protection of our way of life, without any acceptance of gray areas in potential immigrants' politics or world view or adherence to a revolutionary political philosophy that use an ersatz religion to control its believers...otherwise known as Islam.
The core of Islam is the creation of a world government that is antithetical to 250 years of American Exceptionalism, 2,500 years of Western culture, 2,000 years of Christianity, at least 2,000 years of Hinduism, 2,400 years of Buddhism, and 2,800 years of Judaism. It aims to achieve that through violence, and has been remarkably consistent in its application of violence for its entire history.
If Western governments cannot recognize the existential risk of Islam being treated as just another religion, then all is lost. The United Kingdom is almost certainly lost already, with only the faint glimmer of hope in the Reform Party and Restore Britain Party. France is in similar straits, with its National Rally Party being actively targeted with lawfare by the ruling parties.
And...sadly, Islam is not the only existential issue. The majority of the world has no concept of personal freedom and individual autonomy. They are comfortable with authoritarian governments, with the rule of law being an afterthought, with tribalism being the primary driver of social and economic behavior. It is incumbent on America to reject those attitudes and return to a rational immigration policy that raises to the pinnacle a desire to become American, with all that entails.
Immigration law should be a hammer, and if deserving immigrants are denied entry, we will survive. But if the default decision is admission, we will be destroyed.
Welcome to my attempt at a thread on AOSHQ. CBD asked if I would be willing to try a couple of book threads and that got me thinking. The Horde is so varied and interesting in their reading habits. This is a chance to ask a few questions about reading that intrigue me. So here goes.
Sorry the man, to my mind, who has not in his own home a place to be all by himself, to pay his court privately to himself, to hide.
-- Michel de Montaigne
Was this the first man cave? The idea is certainly pleasant and one I've sought most of my life. What would you include in your reading space? (BTW, it probably helped to be a wealthy 16th century French aristocrat to make a place like that.)
I've always liked this painting, 'The Bookworm' by Carl Spitzweg, circa 1850. This could be me, except I don't like ladders. It's so typical that reading one book makes me dig out five others.
WARNING: A lot of single and double quote marks have been used in this segment.
There's a book coming out in March, "The Real Shakespeare" by Irene Coslet. She 'proves' that Shakespeare was actually a Jewish woman of north African descent living in Venice (Italy not California). The book blurb on Amazon says "Generations of researchers have tried to dismantle the myth of the Stratford man. Now, in this intriguing and well-documented book, Irene Coslet conclusively demonstrates that Shakespeare was a not a man, but a woman: a dark-skinned lady, of Jewish origin, born into a family of Court musicians from Venice"
One review describes Coslet as a "feminist historian" who claims that the true author (authoress?) is Emilia Bassano and this 'fact' was buried under "western-centric ideology". The examples of her proof mentioned in reviews make "Chariots of the Gods" look like hard science. Bassano, later Emilia Lanier after marrying an Englishman, may well have been a remarkable woman. So are many of the Ettes in the Horde. Doesn't mean they wrote Hamlet or Macbeth. This level of 'woke' is both tiresome and irritating. And the publisher has the brass-plated gall to charge $36.95 for this 200 page screed. I assume, and hope, it will be remaindered in record time.
I find the arguments about who wrote Shakespeare to be intellectual (maybe) curiosity and speculation. Or masturbation. (I suspect some is just academic snobbery.) Because even if it wasn't a glove maker's son turned actor, the plays and sonnets still exist and their perceptions, glorious words, and emotional connections with humanity have continued for four centuries.
Feel free to disagree.
Is there any one book that made you a life long reader? For me it was Treasure Island with the Wyeth illustrations. I think I was in second grade and kept a dictionary at hand to deal with the many new words. The challenge and difficulty were part of the attraction. It was the first time I realized how words alone could paint a picture in my head and then come to life. A first step into true book nerdom.
I'm noticing more articles and YT videos about how physical media, books, DVDs, CDs and so forth are increasingly popular as an alternative to streaming and digital everything. The stories point to increased sales, the success of the revitalized Barnes and Noble stores, and a general preference to own (and control) the materials. These stories appeal to me partly because I didn't grow up with digital versions, which didn't exist, and partly because I don't trust the 'gatekeepers' of the digital world. I don't know if they are true or just a continuation of LPs are better than CDs attitude. Anyone else noticed this one way or another?
What I've been reading:
LOTR (of course) -my 60th annual rereading.
The Golden Thread: A History of the Western Tradition, Volume I: The Ancient World and Christendom - usually a few pages at a time since the topics lead to endless rabbit holes. But too interesting to abandon for long.
Luis Melendez: Master of the Spanish Still Life - His still life paintings are so well done and appealing. I can get lost studying one image and reading about how he achieved it. I find looking at the works of painters I admire to be soothing and a welcome distraction from all the crap news that tries to bury us.
Books I've acquired just because they appear to be fun reads to have on hand. I often learned about these books from the book thread.
Route 66 A. D.: On The Trail of Ancient Roman Tourists by Tony Perrottet
Poplollies and Bellibones: A Celebration of Lost Words by Susan Kelz Sperling
The Adventures of Tom Bombadil edited by Christina Scull and Wayne Hammond - This is an expanded version of the mid-60s edition. I had that but it disintegrated from use so I splurged.
Before you celebrate, the bill is the worst kind of waffly bullshit, forbidding the government from infringing on fundamental rights unless it really wants to.
I think they've spent too much time next door to Canada and the government needs to institute a hundred-mile decommunised zone.
Still doing better than Australia where our government threatened at one point to legislate against inconvenient arithmetic.
It looks great on paper but it throttles down to less than half power within two seconds. If you want the high-end processor the only viable option is the 16 inch model.
I'm not a typical office worker, but I get more out of it just from using it as a better search engine. Watching Grok and ChatGPT discard dozens of useless results from Google before finding the right answer is... I don't know. Satisfying, in a strange way.
Interesting that from the original version in 2012 to this 2020 update, the quoted SSD latency improved by a factor of 10 - from 150 microseconds to 16. And disk seeks from 10 milliseconds to 2, which has got to be measuring cache effects, because that would mean the disk would be spinning at 30,000 rpm.
Of course it's going to take years before anything can come online even if he can secure the required tools from ASML, which is a single source for top-end chip manufacturing equipment.
He has said that he plans to reach production in excess of 100 billion chips per year, though exactly what chips and in what time frame he has not yet specified.
The H610M Combo featured two slots for DDR4 memory and four slots for DDR5, though you could only have one or the other.
The Combo II cuts that down to one slot for DDR5 and two slots for DDR5, which is kind of broken. If you have DDR5 you don't need the DDR4 slot, and if you don't you're stuck with a quarter of the bandwidth.
Welcome to Club ONT - a collaboration of The Disco and The Dino. St. Patty's Day will be observed in the Club tonight! All ye hooligans be on yer best behavior!
After closing time at the bar, a drunk was proudly showing off his new apartment to a couple of his friends.
He led the way to his bedroom where there was a large brass gong and a mallet.
"What's up with the big brass gong?" one of the guests asked.
"It's not a gong. It's a talking clock," the drunk replied.
"A talking clock? Seriously?" asked his astonished friend.
"Yup," replied the drunk.
"How's it work?" The friend asked, squinting at it.
"Watch," the drunk replied. He picked up the mallet, gave the gong an ear-shattering pound and stepped back. The three stood looking at one another for a minute...
Suddenly someone on the other side of the wall screamed, "You asshole! It's three-fifteen in the morning!"
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Two aliens landed in the Arizona desert near a gas station that was closed for the night. They approached one of the gas pumps and the younger alien addressed it saying, "Greetings, Earthling. We come in peace. Take us to your leader."
The gas pump, of course, didn't respond. The younger alien became angry at the lack of response and the older alien said, "I'd calm down if I were you."
The younger alien ignored the warning and repeated his greeting. Again, there was no response. Annoyed by what he perceived to be the pump's haughty attitude, he drew his ray gun and said impatiently, "Greetings, Earthling. We come in peace. Do not ignore us! Take us to your leader, or I will fire!"
The older alien warned his comrade saying, "You don't want to do that! I don't think you should make him mad."
"Rubbish," replied the cocky, young alien. He aimed his weapon at the pump and opened fire. There was a huge explosion. A massive fireball roared towards them and blew the younger alien off his feet and deposited him in a burnt, crumpling mess about 200 yards away in a cactus patch.
About a half hour passed.
When he finally regained consciousness, he refocused his three eyes and straightened his bent antenna and looked dazedly at the older, wiser alien who was standing over him shaking his big, green head.
"What a ferocious creature!" exclaimed the young, fried alien. "He damn near killed me! How did you know he was so dangerous?"
The older alien leaned over, placed a friendly feeler on his crispy friend and replied, "If there’s one thing I've learned during my intergalactic travels, you don't want to mess with a guy who can wrap his penis around himself twice and then stick it in his ear!"
Ingredients
1/3 Green Creme de Menthe
1/3 Baileys Irish Cream
1/3 Grand Marnier
Instructions
Pour a shot glass 1/3 full with Green Creme de Menthe.
Pouring very slowly over the back of a spoon, add a layer of Baileys Irish Cream.
Again pouring very slowly over the back of a spoon, add a layer of Grand Marnier.
*****
Club ONT Department of Pi
Today is March 14th. 3/14. Pi day.
The "no math on the blog" rule is suspended tonight - in honor of Pi Day!
What is Pi?
Happy pi day! Here's how Archimedes approximated the value of pi and how many digits of pi we actually need. pic.twitter.com/RCBSAhhuwv
The answer to your problems may not be a taxidermy stripper squirrel, but isn't it worth checking? Only $575!
The only thing better would be a purple pimp hat!
If that doesn't work for you, how about a taxidermy beer drinking possum? Only $675!
Disclosure: These pieces from Black Moth in Tulsa, Oklahoma are shown for entertainment and educational purposes only. Club ONT does not officially endorse any taxidermy service provider, stripping venue or brand of beer. Sponsorship opportunities, however, are available. Operators are standing by.
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Always beware of the flying squirrel...
This is WILD 🤯
Russian wrestler hit a flying squirrel down 3 points AT THE BUZZER for the win 😱 pic.twitter.com/SFTM2n8A6S
And if that isn't awful enough, here is The Pogues, singing a bit of a great song, but drunk in a pub. The hacking cough is a nice touch.
St. Patrick's Day is amateur hour, and I carefully avoid most of humanity. But drinking songs and songs about drinking and booze are ubiquitous, so let's see what we can dredge up!
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. As the prophesy foretold, the theme for this Hobby Thread is calligraphy and the written word.
[Top photo: A miniature of the hermit (monk) writing at a desk, 1st quarter of the 14th century (The British Library, London)]
As per usual Hobby Thread etiquette, keep this thread limited to hobbying. All (legal) hobbying is welcome. I understand that some people pay attention to military hardware, tactics and strategy as a hobby. Discussion of current events permitted but must be made in the form of hobby commentary. Pants are optional. 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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Calligraphy? Yes, fancy writing.
Your dino host has a small brain and short arms and dreadful handwriting, so calligraphy is beyond my reach. Need your contributions in the gray boxes for help.
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Book of Kells history:
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Cursive is not the same as calligraphy. Calligraphy assembles several specific shapes and pen strokes.
Handwriting quality has nothing to do with calligraphy? Explain how.
"The Happy Ever After Crafter" is a clever name for a YT channel.
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Flex nib fountain pens are a long way from a BIC ballpoint pen, but here we are.
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Japanese calligraphy ink making. Wow.
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Rosetta stone is not calligraphy but is a historically significant part of writing and language:
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Cursive is a close sibling to calligraphy:
Hat tip: Perfessor Squirrel
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Our first daffodils bloomed only to get snowed under a day later... The snow is gone and more blooms are emerging though.
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Marble carving is off-topic but this video is impressive and amusing:
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NOTICE: Next week the theme will be cartography. We'll be talking about maps. Find your way back and enjoy the fun.
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Did you miss the Hobby Thread last week? We did an paper cutting theme. The comments may be closed, but you can re-live the content.
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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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If you have trouble finding something in the content or comments that resonates with you, contribute your own. Send thoughts, suggestions and photos of your hobbying to moronhobbies at protonmail dot com. Do mighty things but don't run with scissors.
Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528) never saw a rhino himself, but by relying on eyewitness descriptions of the one King Manuel I of Portugal intended as a gift to the Pope, he managed to render a fairly realistic one, all things considered.
Medieval artists’ renderings of cats so often fell short of the mark, Youtuber Art Deco wonders if any of them had seen a cat before.
Point taken, but cats were well integrated into medieval society.
Much more information on the death penalty connected with cats and so forth at the link above.
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Courtesy Carla Brown
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Meet The PetMorons
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Tutti Fruitti was in his wicker house, turns 18 in April; Henrietta Hot Paws keeping me company while I sew, in the sun, at almost 14…
Nan in AZ
What lovely companions! Thanks for sharing their photos.
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Hi,
I know it's a bit late. This is moron Dark Litigator. I was the co-owner (3%) of cat Maceo ("MAYseeoh") who I occasionally mentioned over the years. His mama (97% owner) had him for nearly 6 years. He was a special needs rescue cat from the mean streets of Fresno but he blossomed into the coolest, little dude. A few weeks ago he developed late-stage heart and kidney disease so we sadly had to euthanize him at 2pm on 2/22. Here are a couple of pics from his better days, if you could put one or both up.
Thanks.
So sorry you have lost Maceo - - such a cool cat. Thanks for rescuing him. Keep in touch.
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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.
I closed the comments on that post so you wouldn't get banned for commenting on a week-old post, but don't try it anyway. There was a discussion of pine cat litter in the comments last week. Anyone else try it this week?
This pansy is the only survivor on the terrace outside of my condo of the harshest winter I've seen since I moved here 6 years ago. It is still perfect.
Lots of little green shoots in my planters though so hope Springs eternal.
Sharon(willow's apprentice)
A wonderful way to start our post today, which comes mostly from the desert.
Last week, WeeKreekFarmGirl shared some information with us about an herb most of us had never heard of, Sculpit. Famous in some parts of Europe, we learned. It is available from Terroir Seeds, a company in Arizona.
It is a firm, round zucchini-type squash known for its heat tolerance. I have grown it before. I tend to prefer the more tender varieties, but this one has the advantage of surviving where others may not.
Here is a little video on another of their offerings, Cucamelons:
If you are wondering what to do with all of your tiny cucamelons, use them in a salad! They add a delicious cucumber crunch like nothing else.
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Ah, Nature
Courtesy Wherever I May Roam Nature and Photography
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Adventure
From a friend:
Hiked 6.66 miles today on the Sonoran Preserve. It was so beautiful and pictures will never show all that beauty. We saw so many gorgeous saguaros and other cacti, two snakes (harmless Sonoran garter snakes), many birds, many butterflies, and wild flowers dropping a splash of color in the desert landscape. We akso saw some Christmas cactus. The highlight was a gorgeous crested saguaro. There are only 17 in Arizona, so it's quite an anomaly. I felt privileged to witness this miracle of nature. . . It was a good day.
That crested cactus is amazing.
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Gardens of The Horde
Anything going on in your garden, neighborhood or region?
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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.
It's not too surprising that traditional Christians are flummoxed by some of the preaching of James Talarico, and that social media posts concerning his "theology" continue to appear. But I am starting to see some comments on legit pages that seem to be from sources which post little or no content of their own. They have few followers or "friends". They only challenge posts from right-ish points of view.
An unsophisticated example concerning the war in Iran would be:
Jesus loves a bomb.
But there are more sophisticated challenges to posts concerning Talarico from these sites which seem dedicated only to criticism, suggesting that those who disapprove of his theology are mean or perhaps even bad people. For example, the conversation between Jesus and the Samaritan Woman at the Well was demonstrating that Jesus was sent to expand the covenant between God and the Jews to other people. It was about Social Justice. Forget the complexities about "living water", salvation and all.
Additionally, Talarico's special affinity for trans children is a lot like Jesus talking to the Samaritan woman. Social Justice.
Come to think of it, there was a lot of Social Justice stuff in the Old Testament. How dare you question Talarico for talking about Social Justice in a religious way?
Best not to interact with these bots, I think. But there's an election coming up.
Talarico kept the lie going, blaming Trump for trying to silence him. The real story was that the Democrats for trying to silence his primary opponent, Jasmine Crockett.
Anyway, this ploy seems to have been successful, garnering lots of contributions for this guy. In addition, he was interviewed by Joe Rogan, who suggested that he should run for president in 2028. And then there was a long interview by Ezra Klein, included in this report by Mary Rooke: Rising Star James Talarico's Soothing Voice Will Lead Lambs To Slaughter
Good article.
Democratic Texas Senate candidate James Talarico presents himself as a Christian who prays, quotes Jesus Christ extensively, and grounds his politics in faith. However, on several defining moral issues, he does not submit his political ideology to scripture; instead, he reinterprets or ignores scripture to genuflect to his true “god”: far-left orthodoxy.
Talarico, a Texas state representative and self-proclaimed Presbyterian, discussed his supposed Christian faith in a New York Times interview with Ezra Klein released on Tuesday. During which he spoke reverently about God, scripture, and his prayer life. Overall, he defined his faith as trust and acts of love. But there’s an argument to be made that Talarico is not truly Christian but rather a devout practitioner of radical left ideology wrapped in Christian symbolism. . .
Talarico’s interview makes it clear that he doesn’t believe that Christianity is a faith that transforms ideology, but rather that an ideology can selectively reinterpret or override scripture and Christian dogma to remain unchanged. This suggests that his operative authority is not Christ, scripture, or doctrine, but leftist ideology, which is then clothed in Christian language. In this way, he becomes the wolf in sheep’s clothing, leading others to follow down this treacherous path. . .
Probably the most insidious example of this is when Talarico explains his political views on abortion using the Blessed Mary. In the interview, Klein plays a clip from Talarico’s appearance on the “Joe Rogan Experience.”
Talarico cites Mary’s consent at the Annunciation, when she exclaims, “Let it be done to me according to your word,” as a biblical foundation for so-called reproductive freedom and a woman’s absolute autonomy over her body. . .
And Klein thought that this would be a fine example, too, I guess.
Talarico’s public presentation of Christianity exposes that his true faith is in human autonomy, sexual liberation, and state-mediated economic equality, with Jesus recast as a mascot for those causes rather than the Lord who demands repentance and transformation.
His calm voice and boyish face aid in this endeavor. They are powerful rhetorical assets that make his presentation of far-left positions feel disarming, sincere, and authentically Christian rather than ideological or confrontational. This makes listeners less likely to categorize him as a partisan activist and more likely to see him as a sincere young believer simply sharing his faith. . .
More at the link.
Here's an interesting re-interpretation of scripture: "Don't tell me what you believe. Show me how you treat other people and I'll tell you what you believe."
I thought that judging people's hearts was God's job.
One of his public prayers included: "the Quran calls you Peace, the Gita calls you Destroyer, the Dharma calls you Truth"
There's some traditional, Bible-Belt Christianity that most people would recognize.
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Some of the people who like Talarico are sincere
I ran across excerpts from a post by a Christian guy who had opened up a dialogue with progressive Christians who took Talarico seriously.
Tyson Zahner: "My last post about James Talarico's progressive Christian theology generated hundreds of conversations. The most interesting ones were with progressive Christians themselves… sincere, thoughtful people who love Jesus and genuinely believe they're following Him more faithfully than the traditional church has.
After engaging in several of these conversations, I noticed a pattern underneath every progressive argument…
I'll start with their core move…
Every conversation came back to some version of this: "Jesus summarized everything as love God and love your neighbor, and that overrides the harder moral teachings."
But I see two problems here.
One is simply a breakdown in what we mean by "love".
Progressive Christians tend to hear that word and translate it into merely compassion, empathy, and understanding… which then becomes affirmation, tolerance, and acceptance. By that definition, any moral boundary starts to feel unloving.
But that's not the biblical definition. Thomas Aquinas defined love (agape) not as mere emotion, but as a conscious decision to "will the good of the other" which sometimes means saying the hard thing, not the comfortable thing. . . .
And here's why it's so hard to argue with progressive Christianity…
In my previous post I mentioned Jonathan Haidt (a social psychologist who is not religious, not conservative, and has described his own political leanings as liberal).
Haidt wrote The Righteous Mind about why good people are divided by politics. His research isn't about theology. But it explains why progressive Christianity is so effective and so persuasive to so many.
His core finding was this: conservatives draw from a broader moral palette including care, fairness, loyalty, authority, sanctity, and liberty. Progressives weight care and fairness far above the others.
In chapter 12, Haidt himself wrote: "When I speak to liberal audiences about the three 'binding' foundations — Loyalty, Authority, and Sanctity — I find that many in the audience don't just fail to resonate; they actively reject these concerns as immoral. Loyalty to a group shrinks the moral circle; it is the basis of racism and exclusion, they say. Authority is oppression. Sanctity is religious mumbo-jumbo whose only function is to suppress female sexuality and justify homophobia."
Progressive Christianity does the same thing theologically. It elevates the care and fairness dimensions of Jesus's teaching above everything else… then treats anyone who draws from the other moral foundations as a Pharisee.
The result sounds like pure love. But it's a narrowed moral vision that has quietly set aside half the palette and declared the remaining half to be the whole gospel.
In one of my conversations, a self-described progressive Christian told me plainly: "The vast majority of progressive Christians aren't against border enforcement, traditional marriage, or institutional order. The difference is we don't see those as moral issues."
That's not underweighting those foundations. That's removing them from the moral category entirely which is exactly the pattern Haidt describes. . .
Do you know anyone who follows the progressive Christian pattern?
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Christian Nationalism
James Talarico is really against "Christian Nationalism" as defined by the left at any given moment, but he doesn't hate the people:
James Talarico on building a coalition with white nationalists:
“What if we found the courage and the vulnerability to do the difficult work of building a movement based on radical love that could create solidarity between latinx…a movement so powerful it could even liberate… pic.twitter.com/0DpWj8yUvC
Remember when Southwest Key, Catholic Charities USA, and Endeavors, all non profit organizations, received about $5.6 billion of tax payer money under Biden from 2021-2024 to help facilitate illegal immigration?
The Week in Pictures: Schroedinger’s Ayatollah
Is he alive or is he dead? When it comes to the new ayatollah, the answer is ultimately Yes. If he is alive, it won’t be for long. Who wants to tell him?
Sadly, I don’t have any memes yet for Judge Lawrence VanDyke’s amazing dissent at the 9th Circuit Friday. (If you haven’t heard about this, see the third item here.)
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Hope you have something nice planned for this weekend.
The Classical Saturday Morning Coffee Break & Prayer Revival
—Misanthropic Humanitarian
[Walk on water? Ha. Current lake ice conditions in the Frozen Tundra? 12"-21".]
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Good morning boys and girls and everything in between. Before we enter the Prayer Revival just a few house keeping matters to go over. (Rulz for those of you in Tacoma)
1) This is an open thread. Feel free to lurk, opine and/or bloviate.
2) Be kind, be nice. Be exceptional. Don't be Pretti Good.
3) Running with sharp objects is not regulated by the FDA. Good luck there Buckwheat.
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:
1/24 – Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd posted some updates and requests. In the blessings department: blood glucose has continued to fall, well within normal range. BP is good. The hole where his molar used to be is coming along nicely. The youngest has jaw surgery coming up in February. This is many years in the making and should correct her bite and ease the pain in her jaw and ears. She’s not looking forward to the liquid diet, but is looking forward to the pain relief. Prayers are always appreciated, and based on what they have been through, he knows they are efficacious.
2/14 Update – His daughter’s jaw surgery seems to be fully successful, thanks be to God. She is recuperating rapidly, the swelling is sharply down, and she’s counting the days to getting off the liquid diet.
1/31 – George V asked for prayers for his wife. She needs a heart valve replacement but first needs a heart cath to assess the valve and determine the replacement procedure and perhaps put stents in the coronary arteries that may be partially blocked. Also, the preliminary CT scan of her heart showed spots on her lungs that may be cancerous.
2/21 Update – The prayers are working. Thanks be to God and everyone who prayed. The heart cath showed no blockages in her arteries. The heart valve procedure will be in about 4 weeks. The pulmonologist said the lung spots have a very low chance of being cancerous, but a second scan will tell for sure. So far good news, and thanks to all who prayed for her.
2/14 – Vmom deport deport deport asks for prayers on behalf of her husband, as his employer is expected to file for Chapter 11. They are hoping for a decent severance.
2/14 – TCN in Alaska asked for advice. She is currently allowing her son, his girlfriend, and their infant to live in a condo she owns, and they are providing a terrible environment for the baby: pot-smoking, booze, no food, no formula. TCN in Alaska asked for advice about how to handle the situation. Prayers would help.
2/14 – L gave an update on her brother Ron. He has been in declining health for the last 6+ months, and has been transferred to a nice facility for hospice. They had been discussing this possibility for months. He would make improvements, then relapse, each time ending up more disabled. The best part is that he is at peace with the decision. He is aware enough to assist with the final plans and is enjoying parceling out his remaining possessions to family and friends. L’s daughter’s cardiac recovery continues. L says she cannot thank all sufficiently for the many prayers.
2/19 – mindful webworker requested prayers for his wife. Milady Jo will be having surgery on 2/26. It should be outpatient, and then a couple of weeks of recovery. Prayers are welcome for her, her surgeon, and her hapless husband while she’s down.
2/26 Update – The surgery is for Respiratory Epithelial Adenomatoid Hamartomak (REAH) – basically a blocked up nose. It’s relatively rare. It took a while to find an ENT whose diagnosis and surgical recommendation gave confidence. The surgery should improve her life greatly. It is scheduled for 1 pm.
2/28 Update – Thanks for the good thoughts and prayers for MiladyJo’s surgery. It took about 4 hours and seems to have been completely successful. There has been a great improvement in breathing and even appearance. She said that, after years of waiting, it seems like a dream, and that she knows with family, friends, and Morons and ‘Ettes, she is much loved.
2/20 – Gouveneur Morris requested prayers for herself as she has surgery scheduled for 2/27 for spondylolisthesis.
3/5 Update - Gouveneur Morris’ surgery was successful – every prayer and thought directed her way is appreciated.
2/21 - Skip asked for prayers for his sister and her two children, as they grieve their husband/father. The memorial service was on 2/21.
2/21 – Vmom deport deport deport asked for prayers for Gerry and Cathy, the elderly parents of her co-worker, B. Gerry and Cathy are in failing health, and B is bravely trying to keep them cared for and independent while also being a mom to her own kids.
2/21 – San Franpsycho requested a prayer for complete and immediate healing for PS, his oldest living relative, who is back in the hospital due to post-surgery fever and possible pneumonia.
2/21 – Sock Monkey asked for prayers of comfort and peace for Rickb223, who recently lost his wife to cancer. It was apparently a long battle and he was her primary caregiver. He is struggling. Please pray for him.
2/25 – LinusVanPelt posted a request for prayers for himself. He had a health scare and it’s freaking him out a bit. He had a real thing happen, and then received a clean bill of health, but has 2 more doctors to see. He can’t stop irrationally worrying that they’re going to say bad stuff (despite the real reason for the visits is to adjust medication levels).
2/28 Update – He woke up in a hospital ICU recently. Everything checked out, and it was a stress-induced incident, but that means he needs to make changes in his professional life. He is looking for the Lord’s guidance.
2/25 – Teresa in Fort Worth posted that she might need some prayers. Her PET scan was less than encouraging. She will have more information on 2/26.
2/26 Update – There were 2 new spots on her liver and a couple of weird things in the transverse colon. But the oncologist says he is not worried by anything he saw on the PET scan.
2/27 Update – The newest chemo protocol appears to be working. Her cancer markers are below the “cancerous” range. So for now they will continue with 2 weeks of continuous medication delivered directly into the Hepatic Artery and 2 weeks off. Unfortunately, one of the meds is a low dose of steroids, so her appetite and her Zepbound are currently duking it out.
2/25 – Robert posted that he needed an ‘Ette to kindly bash his brains in. He is suffering yet another massive gout flare up, and needs someone to end it all for him. He asks for an ‘Ette because he knows women are capable of inflicting great violence with only love in their hearts.
2/26 – Farmer could use some prayers. A biopsy is scheduled soon. The dentist said he found a couple of suspect spots. After having had prostate cancer, anything like this really alarms him.
2/26 – Bluebell passed along news from grammie winger: “Tomorrow (2/27) I go in for an all day marathon of tests and consultations. Then Monday (3/2) they will attempt the surgery. It is quite complex and they are not exactly sure they can do it. If they can, it will be a ten hour procedure. I confess to being a little apprehensive. The Rev is a little overwhelmed poor soul. Fortunately my two kids have me covered. My daughter the nurse for the medical side, and my son for the spiritual side. He has been a rock.”
3/10 Update – GrammieWinger’s son said she wanted us to know that she had surgery last Monday, and they were able to get most of the cancer, but they had to remove her colon. It’ll be a long recovery time, but she’s in good spirits and good hands. Grammie’s daughter has been at the hospital every day. Grammie Winger is very thankful for all of your prayers and she looks forward to talking with us soon!
2/27 – turambar posted that his/her mom had surgery for a broken left hip. Lots of pins and a rod were required to fix her up. She is in recovery now and doing okay, but she has a long road ahead since she is 86 years old. Thanks for your prayers; turambar appreciated them so much.
2/28 – 2009Refugee asked for prayers for an older sister who was scheduled for brain surgery on 3/4.
2/28 – no one of any consequence requested prayers for the repose of his oldest friend, who died on 2/22. His friend had returned to the church in recent years. No one of any consequence will be giving the eulogy at his memorial mass.
2/28 – San Franpsycho asked for prayers for P’nina Bat Surel, who remains hospitalized and still is not stabilized.
2/28 – Fenelon Spoke asked for prayers for a friend, P, who is dealing with a pinched nerve and has to have surgery in a week or so. She also has a daughter, K, who just got out of the hospital having had major mental health problems.
2/28 – LinusVanPelt requested prayers for our troops, President Trump, and for Israel’s government and the IDF as well.
2/28 – Sock Monkey requests prayers for Mrs. Sock. She crashed and burned pretty hard while skiing Thursday. She went to work very sore and using a cane.
2/28 – JJ posted that his wife was discharged from her rehab facility and her prognosis post shunt surgery to regain strength and physical abilities is excellent.
3/2 – RickZ posted that he received bad news. He went to the ER with muscle pain and came out with a cancer diagnosis. He could use prayers for an extremely capable oncological team of cancer specialists, and that God guides their hands and minds as they work to rid Rick of cancer. And also that God would provide him peace and calm, and to help sustain him through this trial.
3/5 – Inogame posted the good news that baby #5 arrived! Baby was overdue by 12 days. Mom and baby are doing well. Baby was 9 pounds 8 ounces, and 21.5 inches long.
3/5 – IrishEI has learned that she needs major surgery on 3/16, and she would really appreciate prayers.
3/7 – Uncle Slayton posted the good news that his son-in-law, Kenny, is almost 3 years cancer-free. He beat lymphoma and leukemia, and Uncle Slayton wanted to thank everyone who prayed for him.
3/7 – Joe Kidd sent an update on a previous prayer, for a young girl named Jasmine. She is the adopted daughter of a friend of a friend. She had been rescued from abuse, but was withdrawn, etc. The friend took the family on an RV trip, and with lots of TLC for Jasmine, things have improved. It appears that God has surrounded this young girl with an army of angels, and your prayers for her are being heard. May those listed here and whispered elsewhere receive similar affirmation.
3/7 – vmom deport deport deport requested prayers for GB, the husband of her friend; he just had a quadruple bypass a couple of days ago, following a heart attack.
3/10 – Warai-otoko asked for prayers for a sister-in-law with some respiratory issues, who just took a hard turn for the worse. Thanks to everyone, even if you just take a fraction of a second for it.
3/10 – Update on Susan, who we have been praying for as she battles cancer. She is hospitalized again with an infection in her colon that quickly turned bad. The doctor says the signs are sepsis but they are running tests to make sure. The good news is that the pancreatic cancer was and is responding to the chemo and her cancer numbers are going down. God bless and thank you!
3/11 – Bulg sends a prayer of thanks. He called his formerly estranged sister on her birthday, and they had a wonderful conversation. It was their second conversation since February, and there was no animosity at all.
3/11 – Doof sent his appreciation for the Horde’s prayers for his mom, who has been in post-hospitalization rehab since mid-January. She has recovered from her illnesses, but her body seems to be increasingly giving up on her. PT has become too painful and exhausting for her. She is also having increased brain fog and is rapidly losing the ability to do things like answer her phone or send texts. Continued prayers requested for her, as she is very sad, and also for Doof and his sister as they figure out what’s next.
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.
The two episodes are from the sprawling 12-episode story The Dalek Master Plan that aired in Britain in 1965 - and never aired anywhere else because Australian censors deemed it too violent and that made it unprofitable to resell in smaller markets.
And then the BBC, in the long tradition of knowing the price of everything and the value of nothing, wiped the tapes to reuse them, deeming the tapes themselves more valuable than their contents.
Which left little hope because most of the episodes rediscovered over the years have been from the archives of channels elsewhere in the world that "accidentally" held on to copies for decades after their rights expired.
These two episodes were left to a film archiving foundation as part of a "ramshackle" private collection.
In a nice touch, one of the actors who appeared as the Doctor's companion in the story - Peter Purves, now 87 - was invited to the screening, but only told that it was for an interview. To be fair, they did interview him afterwards.
I didn't know this, but the fake ESPN channel created for Dodgeball, ESPN8 "The Ocho" -- "If it's almost a sport, it must be The Ocho!" -- was actually turned into a real annual event by ESPN.
This whole video showing bikers testing the newest version of the Redbull Hardline extreme bike course is worth watching, but if you want to cut to the really good part, go here, to see the ramp jump across a chasm that I was sure was just a promotional thing that no one intended to actually jump. Wrong, they do jump it. It's insane. Several make it and one wipes. After testing it, and being told repeatedly "that jump will kill somebody," they decided the jump was just too insane and so they removed it from the bike course.
His longtime neighbor Kandie Zaidieh, who described Ghazali as 'my rock,' was shocked to learn of his involvement in the attack and suspects the tragedy in Lebanon may have played a role in his decision-making.
'Because his brother died, right?' Zaidieh, 60, questioned when approached by the Detroit Free Press. She added: 'He was the best. The best neighbor. Always quiet, a hard worker. He was always pleasant. Everybody liked him.'
This was no tragedy -- this was justice. His two brothers were OFFICERS IN THE TERRORIST ARMY HEZBALLAH, CURRENTLY LOBBING MISSILES AT THE ISRAELI POPULATION.
'He was a very hospital [sic] man and a loving father,' Hamido patron Timothy Jacob shared in a Dearborn Heights community group. 'He always greeted me with a smile and always treated my family with kindness. He will be missed.'
Mike Smith, who said he visited the restaurant the day before the synagogue attack, said it was 'shocking' to hear about Ghazali.
'This guy was always a nice guy, one of the kindest people you can ever meet,' Smith wrote, adding that Ghazali's 'customer service was great.'
Siran Mouhanna, admitting she did not know Ghazali well, said that during the encounters they shared, 'he was the kindest, most respectful guy.' She added: 'It breaks my heart.'
'I don't believe Ayman can do something like this,' said Mike Dalou. 'He is the most respectful man and very kind. I'm lost for words. I pray for him, his family and everyone involved.'
Ghazali was born in Lebanon in 1985 and entered the United States in May 2011 on an immediate relative visa as the spouse of an American citizen, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
He then applied for naturalization on October 20, 2015, and became a citizen on February 5, 2016, under the Obama administration.
...
Ghazali drove a truck filled with explosives into Temple Israel, which also serves as a preschool, at around 12.20pm on Thursday.
He says this is legally false imprisonment. He's right. The defendants claim they have the right to illegally detain people to "protest" in favor of their kidnap/murder cousins in "Palestine."
Of course, a lefty judge threw out the case and even hit him with sanctions -- a big money fine -- for making an argument the judge didn't like about leftwing groups the judge does like.
Ted Frank, a conservative public interest lawyer in Washington, D.C., has built a reputation objecting to the terms of class action settlements that he says provide scant benefits to plaintiffs but richly reward their lawyers.
In a twist, Frank and colleagues at the non-profit Hamilton Lincoln Law Institute are pressing a class action, opens new tab of their own, appealing after a federal judge last year blasted their arguments as "baseless," dismissed the case, and hit them with to-be-determined monetary sanctions.
Frank and his team brought the case in 2024 on behalf of drivers stuck for hours in a traffic jam while pro-Palestinian protesters blocked a highway near Chicago's O'Hare airport. On its website, opens new tab, Hamilton Lincoln says they sued to hold the activists accountable and "prevent further politically-motivated attacks in the future."
The filing made the novel argument that the motorists were falsely imprisoned in their cars and sought $36 million in damages for thousands of drivers.
The defendants -- which include alleged protest organizers and supporters -- frame the complaint in court papers, opens new tab as a legally-deficient attempt to attack their political movement.
"Being stuck in traffic does not amount to false imprisonment," said Joshua Colangelo-Bryan, a lawyer for defendant Wespac Foundation, which describes itself as a "peace and justice action network."
Yes it does. You are using force to trap people into becoming props in your terrorist "protest" against their will.
The government may not be able to object to your protests -- but the citizens you're kidnapping can object. We are not your captives.
In Seattle, a transgender demanded entry to a women-only spa where women routinely get naked in the spa rooms. The Korean owned spa refused -- because it's for women only and because women do not want to show their naked bodies to a shman, nor see a shman's big hanging balls.
Jason Rantz on Seattle Red
@jasonrantz
Nov 18, 2024
9th Circuit Court of Appeals is hearing Olympus Spa v Armstrong. The case comes after WA state forced a women's-only, nude spa to accept trans females (biological men).
To Judge M. Margaret McKeown, it's equivalent to a "whites only" business. We're not living in serious times.
Here's the abusive pervert bringing the discrimination case:
The Ninth Circuit rules against the Korean spa, because they're insane. The spa asked for an en banc rehearing, where the entire Ninth Circus hears the case instead of just the three-judge panel that heard the appeal.
Once again, they ruled that male perverts have a right to see naked women and also expose themselves to those women.
One judge dissented. And he used vulgar language to impress upon the reader how insane this is:
After earlier set-backs, the owners of the spa vowed to keep appealing all the way to the Supreme Court:
Jonathan Choe
@choeshow
UPDATE ON KOREAN SPA CONTROVERSY: This is my latest collaboration with the Lynnwood Times. I spoke to Olympus Spa owner Sun Lee Monday morning. He's thankful for the community support and plans to take this all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court if it comes down to it. He declined an on camera interview but says: “I believe in the Bible, the U.S. Constitution, women’s rights, and I will always protect my wife and mother."
The Soros DA of Fairfax County dropped all charges against this guy in 2024:
Nick Minock
@NickMinock
🚨 Court records show Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Descano's office dropped charges against the suspect who was accused of trying to shoot his way through a KinderCare daycare in Springfield with dozens of kids inside.
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung launched a blistering attack Thursday on late-night host Stephen Colbert, unloading in a social media post that branded the comedian "a sad and pathetic excuse for a human being" while accusing him of driving one of television's most recognizable franchises into the ground.
Not really an accusation. That was the headline in the latest Nielsen book.
The remarks, posted to the platform X, came as The Late Show with Stephen Colbert heads toward its final run on CBS. Cheung mocked what he described as a media effort to frame Colbert's exit as a heartfelt farewell tour, dismissing the coverage and taking direct aim at the host himself. "He's a sad and pathetic excuse for a human being," Cheung wrote, adding that Colbert "killed the legacy of The Late Show."
So what is the little-watched TV clown, last seen propping up a mediocre white man so that he could steal a nomination from a Strong Black Woman, doing with his few remaining weeks?
Well, he's having on a series of guests who spend most of their time gassing Colbert up and assuring him that he's super-funny and super-needed in Current Year.
It's turned into such a solipsistic circle-jerk that even Solipsistic Circle-Jerk Daily, also known as Variety, is blasting Colbert for his cloying self-regard.
Colbert's removal from the air, when it was announced last July, was legitimately seismic news, for the industry and for an audience who saw him as a crucial voice for the anti-Trump Resistance since the 2016 election. The timing of the news, though, meant that Colbert had an entire final season to play out with all parties, from writers and producers to host to guests, knowing that the end was in sight. (This differentiates it from the brief period when "Tonight Show" host Conan O'Brien's job was in limbo during the O'Brien-Jay Leno succession crisis -- then, the precariousness and uncertainty of the situation gave the show incredible tension and voltage.)
What has ended up making it to air has been an increasingly puffy tribute to the show's own host. The endless bouquets being tossed Colbert's way have started to make the studio smell a bit cloying.
Granted, these are Colbert's guests having an emotional response to a host they liked being removed from air, and in what seems to be an unfair way, to prove new Paramount CEO David Ellison's Trumpist bona fides amidst the Skydance-Paramount merger. It reminds one of how many other institutions are caving right now -- universities, law firms, to say nothing of corporations across the entertainment industry. But the show's focus on its own host's misfortune has become outsized and a bit dramatic, especially because so many other institutions are in crisis: With everything else going on in the world, we have to go through a monthslong celebration-of-life for a comedian whose job is coming to an end?
Stephen Colbert is a sad and pathetic excuse for a human being. He's kicking and screaming like a baby because he's an entitled prick who has lost touch with reality. The fact is that he will soon be forgotten because nobody likes a loser who killed the legacy of The Late Show. https://t.co/uRcFgodmqA
Late night's 11:35 p.m. ratings race delivered another split decision the week of March 1, with CBS' The Late Show with Stephen Colbert topping the hour in total viewers, while ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live! led among younger viewers.
This is misleading: Gutfeld topped them both by +50%.
But he's not specifically on at 11:35 -- a time they're insisting is the only real "late night show" starting time to fence out the competition that beats them every single night.
According to Nielsen Live+3 ratings data, The Late Show averaged 2.43 million total viewers for the week (+1 percent), enough to lead the broadcast field. Jimmy Kimmel Live! finished second with 2.28 million viewers (+5 percent) but led the hour among adults 18--49, drawing 263,000 viewers (+17 percent) to Colbert's 219,000 (+5 percent).
2.43 million in a nation of 350 million, huh?
And how about those in-the-demo numbers -- 219,000.
Wow.
NBC's Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon also saw growth last week, averaging 1.35 million total viewers (+10 percent) and 191,000 adults 18--49 (+29 percent) across four original episodes and one repeat.
And they're only seeing "growth," if you can call it that, because deranged lefties for whom network propaganda TV is their church and pulpit are tuning in to hear how terribly the Iran war is going.
On cable, Fox News' Gutfeld! again drew the largest overall audience among the shows we track, averaging 3.73 million total viewers (+10 percent) and 315,000 adults 18--49 (+38 percent) across four new episodes. The show was preempted Monday night by Fox News' Iran war coverage but benefited from the broader surge in cable news viewership tied to the conflict.
Weird that this outfit claims that Gutfeld benefited from the Iran war, but pretends the lefty propagandists did not.
Amidst all this #Winning, I have some sad news to add:
Buzzfeed, the digital media company that took the mid-2010s by storm, said on Thursday it has "substantial doubt" about its ability to continue as a business.
In an earnings report released Thursday, Buzzfeed said it has engaged in "strategic conversations" about relieving its liquidity issues.
...
The company was $165 million in debt three years ago; that's been slashed by more than 65%, Buzzfeed said. But Matt Omer, Buzzfeed's chief financial officer, said the company is still burdened by legacy commitments. Alongside its namesake, Buzzfeed also owns news site Huffpost and online food network Tasty.
"Burdened" by HuffPo, huh?
...
In 2025, Buzzfeed had a net loss of $57.3 million, according to its earning report. The company noted it did not have enough resources to fund its cash obligations for the next year.
For those of you who are visual learners: If you imagine a pie graph, Buzzfeed lost $57.3 million of pie. Also, the pie was made of ratshit and hobo jizz.
BTW, that story is from CNN. Another company for which there is substantial doubt about its ability to remain in business. Also made of ratshit and hobo jizz.
Socialist Cuba Has Finally Run Out of Other People's Money and Is Looking for a Deal with Trump
—Disinformation Expert Ace
Cuba had been receiving free oil from Venezuela. Well, not free -- Cuba supplied Venezuela with top intelligence agents and torturers in exchange for the oil.
But then Trump, probably on Bibi Netanyahu's orders because, obviously, sent Delta Force in to shoot L.O.O.K.E.R. guns at Cuba's security forces and abduct Nicolas Maduro.
The oil shipments stopped.
Trump also began raiding and seizing the "dark fleet" of illegal oil tankers moving sanctioned Iranian and Russian oil to low-class shithole barbarian states.
The Cuban "president," Miguel Díaz-Canel, made yet another rare appearance on state TV and confirmed that the regime is currently in talks with the United States. He said, "There are international factors that have facilitated these talks," and said the goal is "first and foremost, to identify the bilateral problems that need a solution."
After weeks of denying any sort of U.S. negotiations, this is the first time he's admitted they're happening. He called it a "very sensitive process that is being approached with responsibility and great sensitivity."
...
Díaz-Canel also admitted that the country has not received any oil in three months and is almost out of reserves.
What's interesting is that Raúl Castro's grandson, Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, aka El Cangrejo or "The Crab," was at Díaz-Canel's side during the announcement. He and Marco Rubio have allegedly been having backchannel talks in recent weeks, and Rubio's team even supposedly met with the young Castro when Rubio was in the Caribbean in late February.
Of course, Donald Trump has been floating the idea of a "friendly takeover" of Cuba for weeks and has said that Rubio is currently working on that.
However, right now, this unusual announcement feels more like appeasement than any sort of concession. The regime is backed into a corner, and it doesn't really have a leg to stand on at the moment. It's nervous, shaky, and sees the writing on the wall.
Either way, its days are numbered. These are the same types of actions made by all of the crumbling regimes of the past.
Cuba claims it will definitely not be making any concessions about letting the people actually vote for their leaders.
The Cuban regime would be wise to learn the lesson of the recent Witkoff-Aragchi negotiations. If you try and jerk President Trump around, rather than make serious proposals to accommodate American demands, you will wake up at 4am one morning to Delta Force at your door https://t.co/Wq1LjZugns
Trump doesn't even need to send in Delta Force. The coming Fuel Riots should provide Cuba's leaders with a certain amount of realism about their situation.
And when they start killing protester -- drones and missiles should help even the odds.
For decades, our elites have been obsessed with regime change by color revolution, trying to create a world where everybody owns nothing and is unhappy. Western governments have surrendered to soft communism and self-destruction.
Donald Trump is remaking the world, not through color revolutions, but bold leadership and the surgical application of force and maximum pressure on our adversaries.
During his first term, I strongly believed that Trump's foreign policy was his best achievement. He had yet to learn how to defang the Deep State, and despite listening too often to establishment figures, he did a great job with what he had.
Now, with the Rubio, Hegseth, and negotiating teams he has deployed, he is masterful.
He notes that Germany is having a long-overdue attitude adjustment as well. Germany's Merz and the Female Super-Villain Leader of the EU now admit that ending all nuclear power generation was a bit of an oopsie!, but Merz also says he won't do anything to reverse this mistake. I saw someone point out that he could undo it, but he's in partnership with leftwing groups to keep AfD out of power, and if he moved to save German's future, his government would collapse and AfD would (rightfully) take power.
Georg Pazderski
@Georg_Pazderski
Translated from German
MERZ sells citizens for stupid❗️
Because previous governments had decided on the nuclear phase-out, it could no longer be reversed.
When it came to the debt brake, he couldn't care less what the previous governments had decided.
PLAIN TALK: He's too cowardly to take on the fight with the SPD.
Wow it's weird how the Latin American left suddenly started losing elections when USAID was killed https://t.co/syKtIwFLcF
Via Ed Morrissey, quoting Politico 4 Kidz Axios, Trump informed the feckless cunts of the G7 that Iran is about to surrender and also you're welcome, faggots.
President Trump told G7 leaders in a virtual meeting Wednesday that Iran is "about to surrender," according to three officials from G7 countries briefed on the contents of the call.
24 hours later, Iran's new supreme leader issued his first public statement vowing to keep fighting. ...
That's egregious propaganda. There is no proof the "leader" issued a statement -- a written statement was read by someone else by a regime propagandist. There is no evidence the Supine Leader released anything besides pus, and Axios knows this. There are confirmed reports that he is in a coma. (And is "likely disfigured," added Pete Hegseth.)
But Axios pretends it knows better and uses its own authority to claim the Supine Leader "issued a statement."
Behind the scenes: Trump boasted about the results of Operation Epic Fury on the G7 call Wednesday morning, telling allies, "I got rid of a cancer that was threatening us all."
While claiming Iran was about to surrender, he also suggested there were no officials left alive in Tehran with the power to make that decision.
Israeli Air Force strikes over 250 Iranian drones, launch platforms, and sites in western Iran, killing key commanders and soldiers and preventing immediate drone attacks on Israel. pic.twitter.com/FEJUDGlRfg
IN A recent speech given in the House of Lords to the Cambridge University Conservative Association, Dr Gavin Ashenden, for ten years a chaplain to the Queen, spoke of a 'respected' imam with whom he had worked 'for quite a long time' while running inter-faith seminars at the university where he was employed.
At the conclusion of one of these events, Dr Ashenden relates, this man confided in him as follows: 'I've been doing this for an awfully long time, but my task is complete. I arrived in the 1970s with the aim of inaugurating an Islamic republic of Great Britain, and I've done it. This country is going to be an Islamic republic or, at least, a partitioned portion of it, in the time of my grandchildren.'
In fact, he continued, things were going so well that it could happen even within the lifetime of his children.
Dr Ashenden records this incident as occurring 'long before Angela Merkel opened the border to the millions' in 2015. Most of the under-16s who, according to the imam, comprised the majority of the Muslims in Britain a dozen or more years ago, have now gained access to the polling booths, allowing a combination of demography and a democratic system designed to cater for a non-sectarian population to 'achieve what agitation would take longer to do'.
I find it fascinating that supposed "American Firsters" like Tucker Carlson have completely stopped questioning our alliance with the Islamic states of Europe -- who we have explicitly promised to use nuclear weapons to defend, which of course makes us targets of a nuclear attack.
There's only one, ONE, actual ally they're fighting to break ties with and declare enemy. And it just so happens to be the one ally with the capability of, and desire to, fight the Islamic conquerors that are keeping Tucker Carlson in luxurious bowties.
The Left -- and Me-Again Kelly -- Say That the Cultural Enricher Who Tried to Blow Up a Synagogue Filled with Jewish Children Was Justified Because "Family Members" Had Been Killed by Israel
—Disinformation Expert Ace
Just one thing they omitted to mention:
The "family members" killed by Israel were Hezballah terrorists.
Imagine if a man attacked a black church, specifically targeting black children, because a black man killed his daughter. Imagine if someone told you "that's not racism, that's blowback"
idk, that would seem like a weird take to me bc it's saying that the killer is not a someone… pic.twitter.com/ch7MQoZnFW
An Illegal Alien With a Criminal Record As Long as David French's Bull Roster Has Been Deported Four Times, But Is Still Allowed to Walk Around NYC Pushing Strangers In Front of Oncoming Subway Trains
Mamdani signed an Executive Order banning police from cooperating with DHS or ICE.
And this Terror Simp also refuses to force them into homeless shelters during extreme cold. So instead they take refuge in the subway stations and victimize people trying to get to work.
The homeless are filling the subway stations because of Mamdani, and psychopathically violent foreign killers are allowed to roam the streets because of Mamdani.
Well done, New York City Democrats. Give yourselves all a raise.
Chilling cellphone footage taken by a victim of a random subway shove shows the moment a migrant who allegedly shoved him and an 83-year-old man calmly walk away after the unprovoked violence.
Video obtained by The Post shows Honduran national Bairon Hernandez, 34, strolling along the platform after allegedly pushing an 83-year-old man and a second younger man onto the tracks at a station on the Upper East Side around noon Sunday.
Hernandez was arrested at about 5 a.m. Tuesday at a Brooklyn homeless shelter and charged with attempted murder, attempted assault, assault and reckless endangerment.
Grandfather and Air Force veteran Richard Williams, the older of the two victims, is still fighting for his life at New York-Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell.
"My father, Richard, is on a respirator in the ICU in the hospital. That's all we are going to say," one of Williams' daughters told The Post on Tuesday.
Hernandez reportedly didn't say a word throughout and hadn't interacted with his victims before the incident.
The younger victim helped Williams off the tracks and fellow straphangers got the pair back onto the platform before a train came.
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It comes after the NYPD revealed transit crime spiked nearly 20% in February as cold weather policies prevented cops from booting rule-breaking passengers from the subway.
He was last deported in 2020 -- under Trump. He reentered the country at an unknown date, but I'm gonna guess it was under Biden.
Per CBS: The result of free-range homeless and sanctuary murder policies is having exactly the effect that you predicted it would have, and which Democrats and the media vowed it would not have:
So far in 2026, there have been nine subway push incidents according to the NYPD. By way of comparison, there were 19 in all of 2025 and 26 in all of 2024.
Cellphone footage taken by a victim of a random subway shove shows the moment a migrant who allegedly shoved him and an 83-year-old man calmly walk away after the unprovoked violence. https://t.co/dsNkmUXYNmpic.twitter.com/KWCqWSQFuc
After a Jewish temple was JUST ATTACKED by a terrorist in West Bloomfield, Michigan, the anchor at a local station in Detroit feels the need to connect it to "white supremacy."
Anchor: "Its not just a fear of Iran and what's happening, there's a rise in white supremacy."
— The Constitutional Conservative (@TheCCShowcast) March 12, 2026
MS NOW is already suggesting the Republican Party has something to do with the Michigan Synagogue shooter: "The Republican party is having, right now, a real fight on its hands, has a real fight on its hands amid wings of the Republican Party that are extremely antisemitic or… pic.twitter.com/bcjsrtxpmU
It's an entirely new rulebook. They used to just downplay Islamic terror, but just as they did with Charlie Kirk, they now spring into action and immediatly blame the act on the right.
They mention Nick Fuentes, an online influencer, and ignore institutionalized antisemitism on the left, in Congress (The Squad), candidates with nazi tattoos, in Academia, and in their own media circles.
You know, of course, the NYT's eternal claim that "The motive may never be known" when bearded Tusken Raiders are shouting "Allahu Akbar" and shaking their gaffi sticks.
The NYT now modifies that tactic: Now they will admit that maybe they know the motive, so long as they also communicate The motive is a justifiable one because Muslims are mad that Israel exists.
The NYT is now also following CNN in the "these were just typical All-American boys who somehow found themselves caught up in some mischievous Islamic terrorism."
I know that last Friday I said I was just going to do quick posts to take an early day but that didn't really happen. I'm going to try again today. I also expect it not to happen this time.
Podcast: CBD and Sefton discuss the obvious incompatibility of Islam with free societies, John Bolton is a disloyal sleaze, The SAVE Act is in the muck of Senate RINOs, the crappy quality of anti-American propaganda, and more!
Some people liked Candace Owens because she was a black woman who told hard truths about BLM and black criminality. But this was always a grift. She started out as a race hustler for a grift, then hustled race the other way to grift conservatives, and now she's back to being a race-hustler for the left again. Specifically, she is now claiming that people pointing out that she is legitimately low-IQ and can't pronounce half the words her AI-generated teleprompter script points out to her is racist and just Ben Shapiro's way of saying the n-word without quite saying it. You see, you can only say that black people are smart, and if you see a dumb one that doesn't know how to pronounce simple words while she poses as an investigatory journalist, you have to pretend she's actually smart or you're a racist. Weird, that doesn't sound very conservative, let alone "#Based," to me. To prove how much she hates racism, she then says that Ben Shapiro's Jew ancestors were masters of the slave trade.
Ami Kozak: Every single Tucker Carlson episode consists of him claiming he didn't say the things he said in the last episode Also: this is the manipulation Tucker does that i hate the most. It's so cowardly. All he does is smear people (and Jews, generally), and then claim "I have nothing against [the person or group I just smeared.]" He'll even claim "I love [x], actually." Just again and again and again. It's all a lie, of course. A year ago he smeared Jews but added how beautiful he thought Israel was, and then two weeks ago, he said Israel is ugly as dog-shit and nothing beautiful has been built there "since 1948." Just got this email from Dracula: "I love Van Helsing, actually, he's one of my personal heroes, if I'm being honest. I will claw the heart out of his belly and bathe in his blood before the children of Babylon, but I have nothing but respect for Van Helsing, actually. Love is the answer. Except for the followers of the Christ whom I am commanded to turn into my dark army of Satan. And I totally don't worship Satan, I just think we should listen to both sides. Hugs and kisses, may Van Helsing burn in the blood-red fires of hell throughout eternity, even though I consider him a close and dear friend, Vlad called Dracul."
