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
Chavez the Hugo 2020
Ibguy 2020
Rickl 2019
Joffen 2014
AoSHQ Writers Group
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
Wow. Mount Kilimanjaro is the tallest mountain on the African continent, and the tallest free-standing (whatever that means) mountain in the world.
But the damned giraffe makes the photo!
It's also linked to an excellent short story by Ernest Hemingway called The Snows of Kilimanjaro, which is a bit pompous, but still a good read. Well, Hemingway is a bit pompous. And an asshole. But his early stuff is magnificent, and he is absolutely in the top five greatest American short story writers.
30 years ago I was a pro-immigration, pro-interventionist, pro-surveillance-state idiot.
It took a long while, but I finally figured out what the founding fathers were getting at. Let's mind our own business. let people do what they would like as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else, stay out of their business, support our friends and kill our enemies.
Pretty simple when you think about it.
If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animated contest of freedom - go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen!
-- Samuel Adams
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Delta Dawn, by Tanya Tucker. Yeah...good American music.
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AoSHQ may trigger convulsions and projectile vomiting in some new readers. Please use vomit bag in seat pocket. Knives are to be sheathed at all times unless written waiver is received by our attorneys. Ace and cobloggers specifically disavow all responsibility for content. We are not responsible for any injury, including chafing. Disabling ShowerCamTM is a violation of the terms of use.
Cole told investigators he followed the 2020 election controversy on YouTube and Reddit after things "started happening" and felt "bewildered" by what he saw. But it wasn't just one side that captured his attention. He believed that both major parties were ignoring legitimate concerns from voters who felt something was wrong. The real trigger? How both parties were dismissing and labeling those concerns.
"I really don't like either party at this point," Cole told agents when they asked him why he targeted both the RNC and DNC.
He wasn't some Trump cultist. He was angry at everyone in charge.
During his initial video interview, Cole denied everything at first. He claimed he drove his Nissan Sentra to D.C. alone to attend a protest. "I didn't agree with what people were doing, like just telling half the country that they -- that their -- that they just need to ignore it. I didn't think that was a good idea, so I went to the protest," he said. He insisted he's "never really been an openly political person" and avoids political talk with family to prevent conflict.
But after agents confronted him with surveillance footage, Cole admitted the truth. He said that he assembled the devices in the hours before driving to D.C. on January 5. He cleaned them with disinfectant wipes. He didn't go to attend a protest. He went specifically to plant bombs.
...
Cole told investigators "something just snapped" after "watching everything, just everything getting worse." He wanted to "do something 'to the parties' because 'they were in charge.'" His inspiration? The Troubles in Ireland. He denied that his actions targeted Congress or were related to the January 6 proceedings. In fact, the bombs had hour-long timers, so they weren't even supposed to go off on January 6.
Here's where it gets interesting. Cole felt that "the people up top" on "both sides" shouldn't ignore grievances or label concerned citizens as "conspiracy theorists," "bad people," "Nazis," or "fascists." If people believe their votes are being nullified, "at the very least someone should address it," he said. When something as important as voting seems tampered with, "someone needs to speak up."
I'm glad he isn't confirming the media's claim that he was animated to plant the bombs over Trump's completely-false claims of the election being rigged.
Because if he did, he'd be eligible for an insanity plea, because we all know 2020 was the most secure and fraud-free election in history.
Joe Rogan on Fulton County certifying 315K votes that LACKED poll workers’ signatures in the 2020 election: “Weird that 36 out of 37 [advanced voting locations], that have unsigned tapes, are strong Democratic and that there are 315K votes that aren't supposed to be there.”… pic.twitter.com/71wdouVyBE
Joe Rogan on Fulton County certifying 315K votes that LACKED poll workers' signatures in the 2020 election: "Weird that 36 out of 37 [advanced voting locations], that have unsigned tapes, are strong Democratic and that there are 315K votes that aren't supposed to be there."
"They didn't sign for--but so okay, don't worry about it. We just forgot to tally."
Shane Gillis: "F*ck it!"
Joe Rogan: "We forgot to tally. Whosies!... What a great move though, if they did steal the election."
An illegal migrant from Africa who had a deportation order is suspected of stabbing three women on the Paris metro on Friday in what appears to be another example of the French immigration system failing to protect the public.
A Malian migrant was arrested on Friday evening after three women were attacked on the number 3 line of the Parisian metro system between 4:15 and 4:45 pm local time.
Thankfully, the lives of the three victims are not in danger as their wounds were superficial. However, the 25-year-old African should not have been in the country had authorities performed their duty, reports indicate.
According to Le Figaro, citing sources from within the Paris prosecutor's office, the illegal from Mali was previously imprisoned last year for aggravated theft and sexual assault.
He was released in July and was issued with a OQTF deportation orders, yet nearly half a year later, has still not been removed from the country.
Following the attack on Friday, an investigation into attempted murder has been opened by the Regional Transport Security Service (SRT), which is reportedly not currently considering terrorism as a motivating factor. The suspect is believed to be "mentally unstable".
The UK just welcomed back a true Cultural Enricher who had previously been arrested in Egypt.
The UK actively campaigned for his release and his return to England.
The man routinely calls for the murder of Jews and "colonialists" of all kinds as well as for more "suicide bombings" and more murders of police.
He routinely declares how much he hates "white people" and how they, get this, need to be killed and dominated.
Oh and he also declared his intent to "take over ur towns and rape ur women."
But I mean that's obviously just a "joke," as he says now. No Muslim migrants would ever take over British towns or rape British women. Obviously he's just being satirical or something.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that it was a priority for his government to bring Egyptian extremist Alaa Abd El Fattah back to the UK. He has succeeded in that, after Fattah was pardoned by the Egyptian president.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer publicly welcomes British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah back to the UK following his release from prison in Egypt stating his return to the UK has been a top priority.
🚨NEWS: Egypt are planning to revoke the citizenship of Alaa Abd El-Fattah so he will be stuck in the UK
Sources inside the Egyptian Government have said this is to embarrass Keir Starmer and warn Britain not to pressure Cairo over human rights-related cases in the future pic.twitter.com/BK2ptpK9YD
MSNBC recently decided to rebrand and changed its name to MS Now which sounds like a fundraiser for a disease or the old portal for Microsoft.
Did the ratings improve? Not so much.
...
According to Nielsen Media Research, released on Monday (December 15), Fox News averaged 2.72 million primetime viewers and 287,000 viewers in the key Adults 25-54 demo in 2025. This was up 14 per cent in total viewers and 18 per cent in the demo compared to 2024.
In comparison, MSNBC (now MS NOW) averaged 923,000 total viewers (down 25 per cent on 2024) and 81,000 demo viewers (down 39 per cent), and CNN averaged 580,000 total viewers (down 15 per cent) and 105,000 demo viewers (down 29 per cent).
...
MS Now lost 25% of its overall viewers in one year and 39% of its younger viewers.
At this rate, I don't know how much longer it's going to last.
MSNBC -- "MS-NOW" -- was forced to mention the exploding scandal.
You'll never guess how they played it.
Unless you guessed "it's a racist ploy by white supremacists to weaponize the government against minorities for political reasons." In that case, you did guess it.
Not only is MSNBC ignoring the massive Somali fraud in Minnesota, they’re claiming the Trump Administration is “weaponizing” federal agencies to investigate it.
Analyst Mara Gay says this shouldn't be a priority and that Somalis are being "scapegoated" to serve the "far right"… pic.twitter.com/WF9GOXmOOR
By the way, that's the same perfectly-qualified non-DEI hire who believed that if Michael Bloomberg had given the $500 million he spent on his 2016 campaign for president to the voters, every American would have received a million dollars.
And they say that DEI teachers are leaving students unprepared for basic math!
The media continues ignoring the story:
Still no coverage in NYT, WaPo, CNN, or Minneapolis Star-Tribune of massive fraud being uncovered in Minnesota. The media's willingness to ignore stories that hurt Democrats is truly astonishing. pic.twitter.com/xZcZcbUSm9
Here's a list of the news outlets who have NOT covered Nick Shirley's fraud story:
- NYTimes
- CNN
- Washington Post
- MSNBC
- NPR
- USA Today
- Reuters
- Axios
- ABC News
- PBS
Every single one of them wrote stories on an Elon Musk hand gesture...
...do you get it yet?
Leading the charge in the non-coverage of the story: The Minnepolis Star-Tribune, which refuses to print anything about the newest scandal, which has previously defended the fraud, and which omits mention of the fraud from the "Year in Review" of Minnesota, published today.
And this "newspaper" supposedly covers Ground Zero of the foreign pirate fraud scheme.
Gee I wonder why they're refusing to cover it.
This is the CEO and Publisher of the Minnesota Star Tribune, by the way.
We’ve verified Medicaid fraud and voter fraud in the two most-viral stories on the internet today. Both are Minnesota-based.
MN Gov. Walz signed a law to let illegals get driver licenses in 2023. Minnesota officials confirm it's now possible for them to vote. pic.twitter.com/pPfusMiB3p
As Predictable As the Setting Sun: After Conspiracy Theorist and Lunatic Marjorie Taylor Greene Turns on Trump, the NYT Offers Her a Puff-Piece with an Attempted Glamour Shot
—Ace
The Calvin Coolidge Project
@TheCalvinCooli1
New: Marjorie Taylor Greene told The New York Times that President Trump would stop at nothing to remain in office even after his second term ends and that he will try to cling to power
She is predicting that Trump will start a war to remain in power past his second term
She claims to the NYT -- which expresses no skepticism, of course -- that Trump "screamed" at her to not release the name of Epstein's "clients," because, as Trump "screamed," "My friends will get hurt!"
Marjorie Taylor Greene has not, to my knowledge, released this "list" which she supposedly had in her hands.
The New York Times didn't see fit to ask her about that.
Kate
@kate_p45
Dec 28
Instead of reading names of Epstein clients like Marjorie Taylor Greene promised existed, she quietly flew to Costa Rica to enjoy her beach vacation in her new $5 million dollar home.
Outgoing firebrand Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene openly speculated that President Trump lacks religious beliefs and slammed the "sexualization" of women at his lavish Mar-a-Lago club in a blistering series of interviews.
Greene (R-Ga.) reflected on Trump's stunning remarks at the memorial service for late conservative icon Charlie Kirk, in which the president was taken aback at how the Turning Point USA co-founder "wanted the best" for his enemies.
"That's where I disagreed with Charlie. I hate my opponent, and I don't want the best for them," Trump declared at the same September memorial where Erika Kirk powerfully forgave the sicko who allegedly killed her husband in cold blood.
"That was absolutely the worst statement," Greene told the New York Times. "It just shows where his heart is. And that's the difference, with her [Erika] having a sincere Christian faith, and proves that he does not have any faith."
...
She publicly decried the arrests and treatment of the Jan. 6 Capitol rioters, backed Trump's dubious claims that the 2020 election was stolen, and even briefly garnered some buzz that she could be his VP pick last year.
LOL. "Buzz" that this retard fame-chaser planted.
...
"Our side has been trained by Donald Trump to never apologize and to never admit when you're wrong," Greene moaned about Trump's grip on the GOP.
"You just keep pummeling your enemies, no matter what. And as a Christian, I don't believe in doing that. I agree with Erika Kirk, who did the hardest thing possible and said it out loud."
She later added: "For a lot of MAGA, Trump is a savior, and he's like a god to them."
While looking back on the causes of her falling out with Trump, Greene concluded that "it was [Jeffrey] Epstein. Epstein was everything."
...
Greene also took issue with the aesthetic of women at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club, contending that they're oversexualized.
"I never liked the MAGA Mar-a-Lago sexualization. I believe how women in leadership present themselves sends a message to younger women," the congresswoman said.
"I have two daughters, and I've always been uncomfortable with how those women puff up their lips and enlarge their breasts. I've never spoken about it publicly, but I've been planning to."
Marjorie Taylor Greene ran to the New York Times to trash President Trump, saying of Trump’s remarks at Charlie Kirk’s funeral, “That was absolutely the worst statement… It just shows where his heart is… and proves that he does not have any faith.”
More Somali Piracy: In Ohio, Somalis Are Defrauding the State Home Health Care System for $250,000 Per Year "Caring" for Phantom "Aged Parents"
—Ace
Once again, the system has been set up so that all you have to do is submit the paperwork and wait a week for your rubber stamp.
A welfare program was enacted, supposedly, to pay people to stay at home and provide care for their disabled elderly relatives. Whose existence and infirmity, I'm sure, was "proven" by simple box-checks.
You won't believe what happened next!
Eric Daugherty
@EricLDaugh
🚨 WOW. Ohio attorney Mehek Cooke CONFIRMS MASSIVE fraud in Ohio, another hotbed for Somalis
They run fake "home health" and bill $250,000 PER YEAR, per FAMILY, when no work is actually being done
She says it also happens in PENNSYLVANIA
"Audit America. Audit Ohio now. And I'm pushing for that in every single state!"
"The state will, as long as the doctor has approved it, continue to pay you. It could be for 10 hours, 12 hours, up to 24 when it's critical care."
"So you could sit at home without caring for an elderly parent who really doesn't need it, make about $75,000 to $90,000 a year. Now you add two parents, that's $180,000. Now you add your in-laws $250,000."
"You continue to add this and you wonder what are the services being provided? So a lot of providers came and said fraud is occurring because we said we weren't going to rubber stamp this paperwork."
"So they went to other providers, their home health care networks saying we'll make it worth your while. Well, sounds like a kickback to me."
"So we really need to investigate the Medicaid system and how much it's increased since the Somalian population came and who really needs critical care because that's meant for our disabled, our elderly and people who really need it, not to just live off our system."
"And that's what's happening in Ohio. I think it's ridiculous. I think it's despicable, but authorities are now looking at it from the Attorney General's office to the U.S. Attorney's office."
"I flagged them all because this is Ohio tax dollars and we have to take it seriously. I'm tired of people telling me, well, this is the way it's always been. It's subjective and we can't really check. No, you can." @MehekCooke
And it's also going on in Pennsylvania. And, frankly, all other states, let's be serious.
But especially Newsom's Graft Empire of California.
There are 539 childcare centers in Washington state that list Somali as the primary language. Most don’t even give a street address.
I don’t know how many of these are submitting fraudulent claims for state grants and subsidies, but I have a strong hunch the number is not zero. pic.twitter.com/FoUQiFNqM6
It's a bit closing the barn doors after the horses have been stolen by Somali cattle thieves, but at least DHS is now going door-to-door to all of these suspected fraud sites:
DHS is on the ground in Minneapolis, going DOOR TO DOOR at suspected fraud sites.
The American people deserve answers on how their taxpayer money is being used and ARRESTS when abuse is found. Under the leadership of @Sec_Noem, DHS is working to deliver results. pic.twitter.com/7XtRflv36b
And of course Minnesota's DHS seems to have been an active co-conspirator in the fraud:
BREAKING - It has been revealed that Quality Learing Center was investigated more than a dozen times by Minnesota’s Department of Human Services between 2019 and 2023, resulting in 95 violations, yet it still received more than $8 million
The fraud of your taxpayer money is happening nationwide and is liberally applied to attract illegal (and some legal) immigrants who will reliably vote Democrat.
The more you look, the more you find. And you don't need to be a world-class detective to figure it out. This is brazen, daylight robbery.
Vice President JD Vance is giving public credit to a YouTube journalist for doing what he says legacy media and elite institutions have failed to do: follow the money in Minnesota. In a post on X, Vance praised independent reporter Nick Shirley for digging into alleged fraud networks tied to the state, saying Shirley "has done far more useful journalism than any of the winners of the 2024 Pulitzer prizes." The comment was a direct response to a video Shirley shared online documenting what he described as widespread fraud, with Shirley claiming his team identified more than $110 million in suspicious activity in a single day while confronting facilities allegedly receiving millions in public funds.
Shirley's reporting has been circulating widely among conservatives, with commentators amplifying clips of him visiting supposed daycare and education centers that appeared inactive despite receiving massive federal aid. Conservative media personality Benny Johnson said Shirley had exposed more than $100 million in Minnesota Somali-linked fraud routed through fake daycare and healthcare fronts, adding to the pressure on state leadership. The issue gained further traction after Tom Emmer, Minnesota's top House Republican, demanded answers from Gov. Tim Walz following a viral clip showing Shirley confronting workers at an alleged daycare in South Minneapolis. Shirley reported the center, called the "Quality Learning Center," showed no visible activity despite claims it served up to 99 children, and even misspelled "learning" on its signage. As Shirley approached, a woman inside was heard shouting "Don't open up," while incorrectly accusing him of being an ICE agent.
🚨 Here is the full 42 minutes of my crew and I exposing Minnesota fraud, this might be my most important work yet. We uncovered over $110,000,000 in ONE day. Like it and share it around like wildfire! Its time to hold these corrupt politicians and fraudsters accountable
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is scrambling to defend his administration as a viral investigation has reignited questions about fraud inside the state's childcare funding system, putting renewed focus on oversight failures under Democrat leadership in St. Paul. The controversy exploded after independent journalist Nick Shirley released a 42-minute video Friday documenting visits to multiple daycare centers across Minnesota, including a Minneapolis location that appeared largely inactive despite reportedly receiving millions of taxpayer dollars.
Walz's office responded to the footage by insisting the governor has long taken fraud seriously. A spokesperson told Fox News that Walz has spent years pressing lawmakers for expanded authority to crack down on abuse in state programs and has moved to strengthen oversight. According to the statement, the administration has launched investigations into specific facilities flagged in recent reporting, including at least one that has already been shut down. The spokesperson also pointed to broader steps Walz claims to have taken, including hiring an outside firm to audit payments to high-risk programs, terminating the Housing Stabilization Services program, appointing a statewide program integrity director, and backing criminal prosecutions tied to fraud cases.
The governor's defense comes as Shirley's reporting continues to rack up millions of views online. One segment of the video centers on a daycare operating out of a building on Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis, where Shirley and a colleague found no visible activity during a weekday visit. The facility's sign misspells its own name as "Quality Learing Center," despite records showing it was supposed to serve nearly 100 children and had received roughly $4 million in public funds. Speaking Sunday on Fox News' "The Big Weekend Show," Shirley said the red flags were impossible to miss. "It's so obvious that a kindergartner could figure out that there is fraud going on," he said, adding that some reporters may shy away from similar investigations out of fear of being branded "Islamophobic" or "racist." "Fraud is fraud," Shirley said. "We work too hard just to be paying taxes and enabling this to be happening."
The backlash against Walz spread quickly over the weekend, with prominent conservatives amplifying the allegations. Vice President JD Vance praised Shirley's work, while Rep. Mike Lawler of New York, Donald Trump Jr., and Elon Musk also weighed in publicly. On Sunday, the White House reposted a message from Education Secretary Linda McMahon calling the alleged daycare fraud a "breathtaking failure" that occurred on Walz's watch.
The FBI is aware of recent social media reports in Minnesota. However, even before the public conversation escalated online, the FBI had surged personnel and investigative resources to Minnesota to dismantle large-scale fraud schemes exploiting federal programs. Fraud that steals from taxpayers and robs vulnerable children will remain a top FBI priority in Minnesota and nationwide.
...
The FBI believes this is just the tip of a very large iceberg. We will continue to follow the money and protect children, and this investigation very much remains ongoing.
Furthermore, many are also being referred to immigrations officials for possible further denaturalization and deportation proceedings where eligible.
Normies in Minnesota are finally getting over their "Minnesota Nice" personality defect that makes them eager victims for fraud and abuse:
Minnesota citizens are beginning to speak out on the Somali fraud drowning their state. 🗣️ 🔥 pic.twitter.com/YmDH4rPcXH
Elon Musk and Tesla Replacing Goal of “Sustainability” with “Amazing Abundance”
The elimination of reliable, carbon-based energy has been one of the globalist left’s weapons in its effort to quash liberty and reorder society. Prior to Elon Musk’s turn to the right, he and Tesla were party to this agenda. To this day, on the “About Us” page of Tesla’s website, it states that Tesla’s mission is: “Accelerating the World's Transition to Sustainable Energy.”
With Musk’s embrace of freedom and prosperity, he has apparently come to realize that a call for “sustainability” is actually a call for the suppression of freedom and opportunity. A few days ago, Mr. Musk tweeted out a rather significant change in Tesla’s mission statement, eliminating the word “sustainable” and instead embracing “amazing abundance.”
“Sustainability” was always a part of the climate hoax. While solar power and battery storage will be necessary for Elon’s planned colonization of Mars, he cannot break the bounds of Earth’s atmosphere without carbon fuels. His abandonment of “sustainability” as a corporate objective is another important milestone as the climate panic recedes.
*****
Donald Trump’s War on Unreliable Energy
Promoting coal, encouraging oil drilling, and stopping the net zero / green energy insanity is just about the most conservative thing a Republican president could do. (Along with securing the border.) It’s almost comical that the Never Trumpers are still shrieking that Trump is not a conservative, even as we read headlines like this:
Speaking of the climate hoax, parts of Canada are experiencing extreme cold temperatures not seen in decades. According to the high priests of the Sustainable Organic Church of the Carbon Apocalypse, this is due to global warming.
From snow capped peaks to desert plains dusted in white, the Kingdom experienced a weather event that many had only imagined.
*****
Climate Change is not Gender Neutral
With climate prophet Greta Thunberg now wearing a keffiyeh and celebrating the October 7 murder of Jews, it’s hard for the climate hustlers to make themselves appear any more comical. But they are creative. The UN is pushing the climate hoax from yet another angle, by stating that “climate change” is not gender neutral.
”Climate change is deepening inequalities – and increasing the risk of gender-based violence for women and girls. On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, let’s act #ForAllWomenAndGirls and build a safer, more climate-resilient future.”
Climate change is deepening inequalities — and increasing the risk of gender-based violence for women and girls.
Since climate and gender are apparently linked, it’s probably about time to put a climate stripe/chevron on the multi-colored national banner of the left.
The Alberta Prosperity Project, which is pressing for secession, now has four months to gather 178,000 signatures, and if successful, the following question will be put to the vote in the conservative, energy-rich province. "Do you agree that the province of Alberta should cease to be a part of Canada to become an independent state?"
Under Canada’s long run of liberal governance, it has become a self-loathing country whose leadership openly rejects the legitimacy of Canada as a nation, being that it is “stolen land.” One of the selling points for Alberta independence is that this would preserve at least a part of what Canada once was, before the country started its current regrettable trajectory.
Alberta is the last remnant of what Canada used to be.
When Self-Driving Vehicles’ Ability to Drive Gets Unplugged
Possessing a vehicle that I can drive anytime and to most anywhere in this country is an important aspect of liberty to me. While I have certainly had to use Uber-type services, I also understand that there is the possibility that there may not be a ride when I need one, and that is unsettling.
This is even more unsettling, as Waymos simply stopped driving during a recent power outage.
The company shut down its operation at around 8 p.m. because the cars were unable to operate without traffic signals. Residents shared footage of the Waymo vehicles parked with their hazards flashing. At least four Waymo vehicles were parked in the middle of an intersection with their hazards on, creating a large traffic jam at the busy intersection in the North Beach neighborhood.
I remain a skeptical of self-driving cars, and I do not want to trust my liberty to anyone who can immobilize me by turning off the electricity.
*****
Throckmorton’s First Law of Live Music: “If There’s an Upright Bass in the Band, It’s Probably Going to be Good”
A tip of the hat to “Dave O” for sending me this video of the Brian Setzer Orchestra performing live and doing a swinging, big band version of “Rock This Town.” This is so much fun.
Israel on Friday announced that it has formally recognized Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office. . . The statement said the declaration was made “in the spirit of the Abraham Accords,” the U.S.-brokered normalization agreements initiated under President Donald Trump. Netanyahu congratulated Abdallah and praised his leadership, citing a shared commitment to stability and peace. Netanyahu invited the Somaliland president to make an official visit to Israel. Abdallah, according to the statement, thanked Netanyahu for what he described as a historic decision and expressed appreciation for Israel’s efforts in combating terrorism and promoting regional peace.
For those unaware, Somaliland is not Somalia. It is an independent nation, though technically known only as a "partially recognized state" that borders the latter to the north, but that said it is an Islamic nation and does share ethnic and tribal/clan ties with the Somalia and indeed other peoples of the region. And since that region, the horn of Africa, also encompasses Yemen across the Gulf of Aden from which the Houthi terrorists use as a base to strike Israel as well as international shipping lanes in and out of the Red Sea and Indian Ocean, this is big news. And while Somaliland gained its statehood back in 1960, it's amazing that of all the world's nations Israel is the first to officially recognize Somaliland as an independent nation. If the Somalilanders can be trusted (and given the nature of Islam, that's a pretty big "if") then Israel in theory gains a pretty important foothold in a very strategic area key to its defense. But what's in it for Somaliland to invite open hostility from the broader Islamic/Arab world of which it is a part? I guess as President Trump is so very fond of saying, we'll just have to wait and see. Despite the smiles and the handshakes for the cameras, when things heat up again, as they no doubt will with the so-called 'Palestnians' You know the Somaliland government will not be silent and like eerywhere else will blame the Jews for not cooperating and just dying. But at least for now, perhaps Israel can keep a close eye on the Houthi front which, like so many other fronts is directly and closely connected to Iran. In spite of the decimation of its nuclear sites by both the IDF and USAF and reports of major internal problems, from the collapse of its water infrastructure to growing unrest and disaffection for the Mullahs from there populace, the regime can and no doubt will strike wherever and whenever it can. what happened at Bondi Beach may very well have an Iranian connection.
Somali Scammers Allegedly Stole Almost As Much In Minnesota As Entire Somalia GDP — FBI Director Kash Patel announced the agency was already sending additional resources in an X post Sunday, saying the deployment occurred before a 42-minute video of independent journalist Nick Shirley visiting various day care centers went viral Friday. Thompson described the situation as involving “industrial-scale fraud,” according to CBS News Minnesota. (RELATED: YouTuber Nick Shirley Exposes Alleged Somali Daycare Center Which Reportedly Reaped $4,000,000 From Taxpayers) . . Somalia’s GDP was $11.97 billion in 2024, according to a release from the country’s Bureau of National Statistics. Whistleblowers in Maine and Ohio have alleged similar schemes by Somali scammers have taken place in those states.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey Says if Deportation Operations Continue Minnesota Residents Will Start Killing ICE Agents . . . However, Mayor Frey did say if the ICE deportation operations continue, ICE agents are likely to be killed. The obvious question is, ‘who will do the killing, Jacob‘?
Good question. There is no doubt that many millions of dollars of that grift wound up int eh pockets of Frey and Walz as payoffs for political protection. Considering they control the state and local governmental bureaucracies that distribute the funds, without them I doubt that the graft could ever have become so large and widespread. There's shoplifting but this is driving a tractor trailer into a warehouse full of furs and cleaning it out wholesale.
Considering that a hefty percentage of what was grifted no doubt wound up in the hands of terrorists in Somalia, Perhaps Somaliland making nice with Israel is an act of self preservation on the part of the Somalilanders, given the nature of tribalism.
Why LAFD Refused to Put Out LA Wildfires: “Heck No That Area is Full of Endangered Plants.” . . .“I would be a real idiot to ever put a dozer in that area. I’m so trained.”
Well at least LA now has a lesbian fire chief whose sole experience in putting out fires is reaching for a can of Jock itch spray
Have a great day!
And lastly, a quick shout-out and a huge thank you for your continued support in hitting our tip jar. It truly is appreciated more than you can know.
“The FBI is aware of recent social media reports in Minnesota. However, even before the public conversation escalated online, the FBI had surged personnel and investigative resources to Minnesota to dismantle large-scale fraud schemes exploiting federal programs. Fraud that steals from taxpayers and robs vulnerable children will remain a top FBI priority in Minnesota and nationwide,” he said. Kash Patel: Minnesota Fraud Scheme a ‘Top FBI Priority’
OFFICIAL DEMOCRAT PARTY/LEFTIST-ENDORSED ANTI-SEMITISM, ANTI-CHRISTIANITY
Anti-Semitism is surging worldwide, but Jews must stay proud, courageous, and vigilant against threats to their people and faith. (They have to first embrace the faith and its precepts in order to defend it, ditto Christians and Christianity - jjs) ‘Never Again’ Is Always
Bessent’s prediction reaffirms that of the Tax Foundation from earlier this month, which foresaw tax refunds will be bigger than usual during the upcoming filing season thanks to Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) and its tax cuts for 2025. Bessent: Americans Should Get ‘Gigantic’ Tax Refunds in 2026
The gold price is racing from one all-time high to the next. That’s good news for friends of the precious metal and bad news for anyone still hoping for a stabilization of global debt dynamics. Gold Alert: Stormy Times Ahead
CHARLIE KIRK'S ASSASSINATION
Kirk said, “Oh my goodness, well aside from continuing the legacy and making sure that this machine that my husband built outlives all of us, it’s making sure we’re going to be back on campus. We’re going to continue prove me wrongs on the quad. We’re not afraid. We’re going to be doing campus events at night. We have all our tour stops with TPUSA Faith for our Make Heaven Crowded tour coming up. We have, you know, all of our amazing chapters. The fact that we’re having so many different governors partner with us for Club America is so humbling and powerful. But it’s also showing the youth of America that your voice does matter and that you do matter, because for so long Gen Z has been looked at as dismissed or, you know, the confused generation, and they’re not. They’re not.” ‘We Are Not Afraid’: Erika Kirk Says TPUSA Continuing Campus Debates Nationwide
FIRST AMENDMENT ISSUES, CENSORSHIP, FAKE NEWS, MEDIA, BIG BROTHER TECH
Thad McCotter: A Vanity Fair “profile” of Trump chief of staff Susie Wiles shows why Republicans who trust corporate media access often end up caricatured, divided, and politically burned. Bonfire of the Vanity Fair: A Cautionary Tale
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AI won’t extinguish human creativity or work; it will sharpen taste, shift labor, and force us to confront ethical questions—not herald mass uselessness or a robot apocalypse. Is the Gloom and Doom About AI Justified?
RED-GREENS, CLIMATE CHANGE HOAX, DEMOCRAT-LEFT WAR ON FOSSIL FUELS,
The “environmentalists” have won, but they’ve also made life unaffordable and almost impossible for normal people. California kills gasoline
DEMOCRAT/LEFTIST AND RINO SCANDALS, MESHUGAS, CHUTZPOCRISY
As Hillary Clinton closed in on the presidential nomination in the spring of 2016, FBI field officers advised colleagues at headquarters to press her on the foreign donations flowing to the Clinton Foundation while she steered American foreign policy and whether she had used the charity as a campaign piggy bank. FBI Caught Hillary Clinton Discussing Donations With Foreign Felon
Roger Kimball: The Heritage Foundation “mutiny” isn’t a conservative realignment so much as the latest anti-Trump mirage, with Mike Pence cast as a moral standard-bearer no one is following. The Pence Mirage: Why the Right Isn’t Leaving Trump
Clarice Feldman: The contretemps at TPUSA and Heritage are less significant than the Democrats’ legal and economic challenges. Christmas Ends the Right’s Messy Week
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine is set to meet with President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Sunday to discuss the current proposal for ending the war. The terms and language of the proposed deal have undergone substantial revisions since it was first presented in November, largely due to objections from Ukraine and other European powers. Is Ukraine Peace Deal Doomed Before Zelenskyy And Trump Even Meet At Mar-A-Lago?
The statement said the declaration was made “in the spirit of the Abraham Accords,” the U.S.-brokered normalization agreements initiated under President Donald Trump. Netanyahu congratulated Abdallah and praised his leadership, citing a shared commitment to stability and peace. (Hat tip to commenter Bulg - jjs) Netanyahu announces Israel will recognize Republic of Somaliland
His words echo proclamations by Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) commander, General Hossein Salami, who has previously cautioned the West that death awaits it at the hands of a victorious Iranian regime. (Salami Baloney! - jjs) Iran Warns ‘Full-Scale War’ Underway with U.S., Europe and Israel
New York Gov. Hochul announced last week that she will sign a bill legalizing medically assisted suicide for adults with a terminal illness. New York Legalizes Doctors Prescribing Death
The murder of Rob Reiner and his wife puts in stark relief the dissonance between a mental health paradigm and an accountability paradigm. ‘Mental Health’ or ‘Evil’?
“Some stories left me feeling revolted to the point of sickness.” God-Haunted Horror
ALSO: The Morning Report cross-posts at CutJibNewsletter.com usually within an hour or so of posting here, if you want to continue the conversation all day.
Well that's to be expected. How about a neutral and trustworthy third party?
No says the EFF.
Does that settle things?
Given how long the article is, I'd say it doesn't. While the hardware is nominally still open, users are pushed heavily toward cloud services that are not open in any sense of the word.
Not out of the kindness of Ubisoft's heart - they don't have one - but reportedly as part of a much broader hack that penetrated their network via the MongoDB vulnerability.
Just two days ago I was wondering what kind of idiot would run a publicly accessible MongoDB server. Guess now we know.
Or not if they are lying. But the hack itself definitely happened. There are an estimated 85 million registered accounts for Rainbow Six Siege. If all of them received the bonus credits, that's about a quadrillion dollars.
Sunday Overnight Open Thread - December 28, 2025 [Doof]
—Open Blogger
Howdy Hordelings! Welcome to the Sunday night ONT - Last one of 2025. Appreciate you stopping by tonight. You have choices in how to end your weekend. Even if you chose not to decide how to end your weekend, you still would have made a choice.
The bridge carrying traffic over the Salt River on County Road 104 near Alpine, Wyoming, doesn't look like something born of battlefield necessity.
It's a single-lane, 130-foot span of galvanized steel, functional and utilitarian, the kind of structure motorists cross without a second thought.
But according to Eugene Sobecki, director of national sales and military business development for Acrow — the New Jersey-based company that designed and supplied it — this modular bridge that was recently put up is a direct descendant of one of World War II's most consequential engineering innovations: the Bailey Bridge.
The alcohol industry has been hit with multiple bankruptcy filings, with A.M. Scott Distillery, a distillery in Troy, Ohio, following six other major distilleries seeking bankruptcy protection, according to USA TODAY.
Another filing came in August with Luca Mariano Distillery, located in Danville, Kentucky. Before that, two distilleries, JJ Pfister Distilling Co. of Sacramento, California and Devils River Distillery of San Antonio, Texas filed in May.
House Spirits Distillery of Portland, Oregon, filed for bankruptcy in April.
Two more companies declared bankruptcy in March: Boston Harbor Distillery of Boston, Massachusetts, and Lee Spirits Co. of Monument, Colorado.
Headline says "major distillers", but those all seem like smaller craft distillers to me. Regardless, the industry is definitely going through changing times. Consumer demand is changing and tariffs are also a factor. Is the bourbon boom of the early 21st century over? Perhaps. I do know that I'm seeing a lot more stuff on shelves lately that for a long time was less widely available.
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'Ette Couture (Courtesy of Piper)
It's that time of the week - when we turn the ONT over to our good friend Piper for a bit. Here's this week's fashion pr0n.
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Sparkle into 2026: The Hottest Holiday Party and NYE Outfit Trends for the Festive Finale
As we tuck away that cozy Christmas glow and set our sights on the grand finale—New Year's Eve—it's time to dial up the glamour just a bit. We're sending 2025 off in style and welcoming 2026 with open arms. The trends this season are all about celebrating: shimmering sequins, luxurious velvet in rich jewel tones, sleek metallics, and plush faux fur accents. Whether you're heading to a glamorous cocktail party, hosting a cozy gathering at home, or dancing the night away, these looks will have you ringing in the new year looking effortlessly chic.
1. Sequin Season in Full Swing
Sequins are the star of NYE, catching every light as midnight approaches. Go all-out with a head-to-toe mini dress or keep it easy with a sequined top paired with tailored pants—pure celebration, no fuss required.
From Show Me Your Mumu:
For more budget friendly picks, look for sequin skirts or tops or tops at Lulus or Amazon under $100
2. Velvet in Rich Jewel Tones
Velvet has been everywhere this holiday season, offering that plush, sophisticated touch as a lovely alternative to sparkle. Deep burgundy, emerald green, and sapphire blue feel luxurious. A velvet blazer over a slip dress is festive and timeless.
From around the web (inspired by The Knot and Savvy Southern Chic):
For affordable elegance, Quince has some beautiful pieces that won't stretch your budget.
3. Metallic Magic
Silver, gold, and bronze metallics bring that sense of prosperity and bright beginnings—perfect for welcoming 2026. Go bold with a metallic slip dress or keep it casual with a shimmering top over jeans.
From Who What Wear vibes:
Budget-friendly picks: Zara and H&M have gorgeous metallic-thread tops right now.
4. Faux Fur Accents for Winter Drama
A faux fur-trimmed coat or jacket adds instant elegance and a touch of old-Hollywood glamour—plus it keeps you warm moving from chilly outdoors to festive indoors.
Options with that Marie Claire glamour:
Budget-friendly versions are easy to find all over Amazon.
Outfit Formulas for Every Plan
• Glam Cocktail Party: Sequin or metallic mini dress + strappy heels + minimalist earrings.
• Upscale Dinner: Velvet midi in emerald or burgundy + faux fur stole + pointed boots.
• Cozy Home Gathering: Metallic top + darker jeans + velvet blazer + comfy flats.
• Dance-All-Night Vibes: Thigh-slit sequin dress + over-the-knee boots + bold red lip
Versatile Picks That Last Beyond NYE
The best part of these trends? They're truly investment-worthy. A metallic blouse works beautifully with denim for winter brunches, and a jewel-tone velvet piece will carry you through events in 2026. Mix affordable finds from H&M or Zara with your classic staples for glamour that feels just right. Here's to closing out 2025 on a high note and stepping into 2026 with confidence and a little sparkle. What will you be wearing to toast the new year, y'all?
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Thanks, Piper! Your weekly fashion segment has been a great addition to the Sunday ONT this year. Thank you for answering the Horde's call to bring back a weekly fashion segment here to the pages of AOSHQ. You do an outstanding job, and I think the late great Oregon Muse would be proud!
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DJ Doof - Guess The Theme
Let's do one a bit more challenging tonight. Difficulty level 4 out of 5.
What's the common thread / common meaning / common leitmotif?
AoSHQ Commenter Statistics:
Number of posts: 86
Number of comments: 19710
Number of unique hashes: 1655
Top 10 commenters:
1 [591 comments] 'Sponge - F*ck Cancer' [83.95 posts/day]
2 [374 comments] 'Bulg'
3 [334 comments] 'Arbiter of Beauty And Taste!'
4 [291 comments] 'Braenyard - some Absent Friends are more equal than others _ '
5 [287 comments] 'Quarter Twenty '
6 [268 comments] 'BurtTC'
7 [257 comments] 'JQ'
8 [249 comments] 'Skip '
9 [239 comments] 'Boss Moss'
10 [226 comments] 'Its Go Time Donald '
Top 10 sockpuppeteers:
1 [325 names] 'Arbiter of Beauty And Taste!' [46.16 unique names/day]
2 [188 names] 'Quarter Twenty '
3 [74 names] 'Official Novdu Informations'
4 [66 names] 'Call it yellow fever, I don't care'
5 [57 names] 'Randolph Duke'
6 [41 names] 'Duncanthrax'
7 [39 names] 'The Grateful - Acta Non Verba'
8 [33 names] 'Count de Monet'
9 [26 names] 'mindful webworker - did Tensor read Muse posts?'
10 [25 names] 'mikeski'
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Tonight's ONT brought to you by defined roles
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Tonight's ONT is presented without commercial interruptions thanks to our friends at the Ace Media Empire Department of Learing.
Your feedback may or may not be very important to Doof Enterprises. Follow Mr. Doof on X @doof2112 or do the email thing – doof2112 at proton dot me. Christmas may be over, but I'm still giving the gift of Rush deep cuts!
Gun Thread: Final December and Final 2025 Edition!
—Weasel
Howdy, Y'all! Welcome to the wondrously fabulous Gun Thread! As always, I want to thank all of our regulars for being here week in and week out, and also offer a bigly Gun Thread welcome to any newcomers who may be joining us tonight. Howdy and thank you for stopping by! I hope you find our wacky conversation on the subject of guns 'n shooting both enjoyable and informative. You are always welcome to lurk in the shadows of shame, but I'd like to invite you to jump into the conversation, say howdy, and tell us what kind of shooting you like to do!
Holy Shitballs! It's a gol-danged double final! How in the ever-loving hell did it get to be the Final December Edition and the Final 2025 Edition?! Christmas was bueno (read: quiet-o) here. How about all y'all? Did you get shooting stuff? Did you give shooting stuff? Did you both give and get shooting stuff?
Your ol' pal Weasel hopped into WeaselOne yesterday and made a quick trip to WeaselAcres to check on things, and everything was just peachy. A few extra sticks to pick up along the road, but that was it. I didn't stay long enough to do any shooting, and will remedy that next trip. How about you? Anyone get a new firearm and take it to the range?
With that, step into the dojo and let's get to the gun stuff below, shall we?
In accordance with longstanding Gun Thread tradition, the Final December Edition and Final 2025 Edition always focuses on revolver fundamentals.
Take it away, Jer!
Just do what he says, 'kay?
RECOMMENDED NEW YEARS RESOLUTION: Focus on fundamentals.
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More Revolvers
It's .44 Magnum revolver madness!
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Approved Shooting Bag Filling
a.k.a. Beanie-baby guts.
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Excessive?
You be the judge.
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Our Pal The Wire Spring Type Telephone Relay (Parts 1 & 2)
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Cozy Cave Update
Status: Deployed, although some refresher training may be required for someone whose initials are Gertie.
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Highway Patrol!
This week's episode: Oil Lease!
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Invasion USA!
Friggin' commies!
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Here are some different online cigar vendors. You will find they not only carry different brands and different lines from those brands, but also varying selections of vitolas (sizes/shapes) of given lines. It's good to have options, especially if you're looking for a specific cigar.
A note about sources. The brick & mortar/online divide exists with cigars, as with guns, and most consumer products, with respect to price. As with guns - since both are "persecuted industries", basically - I make a conscious effort to source at least some of my cigars from my local store(s). It's a small thing, but the brick & mortar segment for both guns and tobacco are precious, and worth supporting where you can. And if you're lucky enough to have a good cigar store/lounge available, they're often a good social event with many dangerous people of the sort who own scary gunz, or read smart military blogs like this one. -rhomboid
Anyone have others to include? Perhaps a small local roller who makes a cigar you like? Send me your recommendation and a link to the site!
Please note the new and improved protonmail account gunthread at protonmail dot com. An informal Gun Thread archive can be found HERE. Future expansion plans are in the works for the site Weasel Gun Thread. If you have a question you would like to ask Gun Thread Staff offline, just send us a note and we'll do our best to answer. If you care to share the story of your favorite firearm, send a picture with your nic and tell us what you sadly lost in the tragic canoe accident. If you would like to remain completely anonymous, just say so. Lurkers are always welcome!
That's it for this week - have you been to the range?
Food Thread: Lies, Damned Lies, And Wine Reviewers
—CBD
That's a pleasant, reasonably-priced wine from northern Italy, with the legal designation of IGT, or Indicazione Geografica Tipica. It's stupidly complicated, but the short explanation is that the wines with that designation satisfy a certain minimum requirement, and fall in the middle of the various designations of the Italian wine industry.
The reason it is complicated is that there are superb wines that are among the best that Italy produces, but because of these arcane rules, they can't be given the top designation of DOP or DOCG or...whatever. And Italy isn't the only country with lunatic rules! The United States and France do it too!
Anyway, I bought this wine because it is a blend of two grapes, Negroamaro and Primitivo, one of which I like very much. Primitivo is roughly analogous to Zinfandel, and I have had very good luck with this grape. Also, it's not an expensive wine, so even if it were crap, I could still cook with it and not have to sell my other kidney to afford it.
But I arrived at the wine store and discovered that it was being touted as a great wine, which puzzled me, because I have never had a Primitivo-based wine that was anywhere near great. Tasty? Yes! Great with dinner at a classic Italian-American restaurant? Absolutely. But the "98" rating from a well-known reviewer seemed a bit odd.
A "98" should mean an incredible, special, wonderful wine that is an amazing experience. I have taken wine seriously for a very long time, and I can count on the fingers of one hand (with a thumb or two to spare) the number of "98" wines I have drunk. For you geeks, a 1971 Richebourg was the best of that short list, and while I didn't think to assign a number to it (mostly I was mumbling..."holy sh*t!), I guess it was about a "98."
So when I opened this bottle I was not at all surprised to discover that it was exactly what I expected...a pleasant and uncomplicated wine that went nicely with the cheeseburger I was having for dinner. I would give it an "85," which is a respectable score. I bought a few more bottles, because it was worth the price.
So, what's up with Luca Maroni? Bribed? Stupid? Crap palate? Or maybe he is an unabashed Italian patriot and simply wants his country's wine industry to prosper.
Interesting! Gold Star Distribution is headquartered in Minneapolis, its CEO is Bassam AbuSamrah, and they seem to supply a lot of Halal grocers and other places that have 3rd World-sounding names.
Remind me again about how diversity is our strength, and how immigration is a marvelous addition to our country.
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I am sure that King Arthur Flour's sourdough starter is excellent. But for $12.95? That's nuts.
Make your own. It might take a few tries, but it will be yours! And KAF's starter will eventually morph into your own anyway, so why not skip the step where you pay them $13 for 10¢ worth of flour and 50¢ worth of packaging?
And I am a huge fan of their flour, which is absolutely better than commodity flour. They also have a great store in Norwich VT, which is worth a visit if you are driving on I-91.
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We had grand plans for Christmas Eve...fried chicken from an excellent joint in the ghetto, my buttermilk biscuits, and some roasted Brussels Sprouts. That is a top-notch meal, and one that makes me smile.
Sadly, the person responsible for the incredibly complex part of the plan...the calling the take-out joint to order the chicken...had a few too many Negronis, and we had to rush to the store for some chicken thighs. Yup, they were tasty, grilled simply with a spice rub for half, and a wet sauce for the other half.
But now I have fried chicken on a loop in my head!
I have made it, but haven't settled on a recipe. Any experts out there who will share a good one? I always start with a buttermilk soak, because why should I play around with perfection. But everything else is on the table, so have at it!
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Yes, scampydog is trolling me again. That is venison/pork sausage, and damn! It looks great!
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I ate in a few diners this week, one of which offered black beans instead of potatoes. I had forgotten just how good they are, because food for me is...SQUIRREL!...
Anyway, I have made Homesick Texan's Basic Black Beans recipe, and it is excellent. And yes, she has a long write-up before the recipe, but she also knows how to write, unlike most of the food website writers on the planet, so you won't get any complaints from me!
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This is not an invitation to start food punning!
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A friend graciously gave me some genuine grown-in-the-USA garlic, and I tasted one clove and planted the rest, because my pathetic failure last year is an anomaly...right? I hope so, because it's in the ground (actually, a large pot), and it had better work this time!
Send all of your extra antelope to: cbd dot aoshq at gmail dot com.
Rumor has it that the Bourbon Bubble is bursting. I have seen no evidence of decreasing prices, but maybe the bursting started somewhere else! I think the sweet spot is $40-$60 for excellent and interesting bottles, and bumping that to $100 gets you an incremental improvement in quality, but nothing mind-blowing. More than that and I think you are paying for hype and rarity, which may look good in your liquor cabinet, but doesn't translate to more quality in the bottle.
The problem...or the solution...is to buy lots of bourbon, take tasting notes, and eventually arrive at your favorites! It should take forty or fifty years, but it is worth it!
That's one of those newfangled "top-down" shades, which allows one to lift it from the bottom or drop it from the top. Very convenient, but obviously the house has shifted and must be straightened.
I guess the first step is to dig out the foundation and relevel it. Or perhaps raze the house, level the foundation, and rebuild.
Or remove the entire foundation, dig to bedrock, and sink pilings so that there is a stable base for everything!
America Is Too Stoned Already: We Don't Need More Marijuana Availability
—CBD
[Clever readers will notice that this is a repost from last week...Ace stomped it after a half hour or so]
That's where marijuana should remain. Smoky dorm rooms and basements where stupid kids and their even stupider older siblings hang out and solve the ills of the world. But it doesn't belong on our streets or offices, and relaxing federal restrictions will do exactly that. Hell, it's already everywhere in some cities...it's impossible to walk down a NYC street and not smell it.
When it comes to drugs, it’s hard to imagine a Republican president deciding to pick up where his Democratic predecessor left off. Yet that is what President Donald Trump did yesterday, directing the Department of Justice to finalize a process, started under former President Joe Biden, that would recategorize how the federal government views marijuana. In so doing, Trump hands a huge financial benefit to the businesses seeking to profit from making pot more mainstream.
There’s no way of understanding the decision without seeing it as a triumph of commerce over long-standing cultural concerns, and of the libertarian, podcast bro faction of the Right over its traditional socially conservative wing. It’s also the wrong move. Improving the commercial viability of marijuana won’t make America’s citizens healthier or her cities more livable. If the goal of federal policy is to make America great, rather than just delivering benefits to a well-connected industry, yesterday’s executive order should be contested—and rescinded if possible.
America has too many problems without adding more of us getting high regularly. Sure, I sound like somebody who just kicked you off his lawn, but what is the benefit to our culture?
Sunday Morning Book Thread - 12-28-2025 ["Perfessor" Squirrel]
—Open Blogger
Welcome to the prestigious, internationally acclaimed, stately, and illustrious Sunday Morning Book Thread! The place where all readers are welcome, regardless of whatever guilty pleasure we feel like reading. Here is where we can discuss, argue, bicker, quibble, consider, debate, confabulate, converse, and jaw about our latest fancy in reading material. As always, pants are required, unless you are wearing these pants...
So relax, find yourself a warm kitty (or warm puppy--I won't judge) to curl up in your lap, enjoy a freshly-made batch of Chex Mix, and dive into a new book. What are YOU reading this fine morning?
This is a great example of how to build a proper library. I love the dome that simulates a skylight. Very nicely done. As everyone knows, a library needs a secret door so that the lord of the manor can escape when the peasants are storming the castle.
2025 READING RETROSPECTIVE
Welcome to the last Sunday Morning Book Thread of 2025! We'll fire up a whole new series of Sunday Morning Book Threads starting next week, though the format will most likely remain similar to the current format. If it ain't broke, I ain't fixing it.
Let's take a look back at 2025 and review some of my more notable reads...
Path to Ascendancy by Ian C. Esslemont -- Since I started 2024 reading Steven Erickson's Malazan Books of the Fallen, I thought it would be fun to start off with this series, which provides the backstory of how the Malazan Empire came to be. It turns out it was the greatest heist of all time, as Kellanved and his partner Dancer decided to forge an Empire from nothing using only their wits and chutzpah to make it happen. Not as good as Malazan but still a very fun read.
Watership Down by Richard Adams -- This has been recommend numerous times here, so I felt I had an obligation to give it a shot. Definitely worth it. Adams explores the life of bunny rabbits in an ordinary field in England, but he brings their whole society to life in a cool and interesting way. You can see how Adams has influenced many other authors who have used animals in their stories, such as Brian Jacques and Tad Williams.
Star Wars - New Jedi Order by various authors -- This was the initial launch of Star Wars Expanded Universe after Del Rey took it over from Bantam Spectra. It's a good thing they did, as they created a very cool space opera. It's a darned shame that the woke lunatics at Disney discarded all of this because they had a near-perfect blueprint of how they could have relaunched the Star Wars Cinematic Universe if they had adapted New Jedi Order material.
Hercule' Poirot's Casebook by Agatha Christie and The Complete Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle -- I'm lumping these together because they both epitomize the best of British mystery stories. Both authors have inspired countless other authors and television shows over the past hundred years or so. Absolutely well worth your time and effort to read these!
The Once and Future King by T.H. White -- One of the great classic retellings of the Arthurian legend. It's both humorous and quite dark at times. Very much a tragedy at the end. White's story has served as inspiration for numerous fantasy authors that followed in his wake.
Dracula and Other Stories by Bram Stoker -- This is one of my all-time favorite reads for 2025. I had no idea that Stoker's original telling of the vampire myth would be so compelling. I had a hard time putting it down. I now understand why it's been retold so many, many times over the past hundred years or so since it was originally published. Just an amazing story and well worth your time.
What are some of YOUR most memorable reads of 2025?
What do you have planned for 2026?
In my case, I can think of a few anticipated reads: Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey; The Conan stories by Robert E. Howard and the later ones written by Robert Jordan; a re-read of The Dresden Files prior to reading the most recent book that comes out in early January; some more Michael Moorcock, etc.
GK CHESTERTON ON FATHER CHRISTMAS
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5 PHASES OF READING FANTASY
At this point in my life, I'd definitely say I'm at stage (or phase) 5 of reading fantasy. That doesn't mean that I exclusively read that type of fantasy novel, but I can say that I've expanded my fantasy interests considerably over the past several decades.
One point that I think is lost a bit in the video above is that he's talking about CURRENT fantasy, meaning there is an enormous catalog of fantasy stories that simply didn't exist when I was growing up.
When I was a wee little squirrel, the landscape of fantasy literature was not the cultural juggernaut that it is today, thanks to the popularity of Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, and other contemporary works. It was much more of a niche field of literature. It was still easy to find and quite popular among a certain subset of readers, but it didn't dominate book sales like it does today. So Viking's comments in his video are applicable to a reader getting started in TODAY'S fantasy literature environment, but it would have looked a lot different 30-40 years ago, when I first started out on my own fantasy literature journey.
For example, in my personal experience, my journey looked something like this:
PHASE 1 - Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis; Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander; Fairy Books by Andrew Lang, etc. Books I read when I was a child.
PHASE 2 - During my teenage years and into my adolescence, I was reading LOTS of books based on Dungeons and Dragons, such as the Dragonlance books, Forgotten Realms stories, and Ravenloft novels. I also started reading Terry Brooks' Shannara series, Tad Williams' Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, Raymond E. Feist's Riftwar Saga, and Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time.
PHASE 3 - In my twenties and thirties, I would have moved on to other fantasy series. In fact, I didn't even get around reading Harry Potter until this stage of my life as it didn't come out until then. I also started reading The Dresden Files and The Codex Alera, both by Jim Butcher, around this time. I also loved reading Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman (pick a series) as well.
PHASE 4 - I'm not quite sure what I'd put into this category, but it would have been stuff I've read in the last decade or so, I think. This is when "grimdark" fantasy started becoming really popular, so I read some of that, such as A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin, The Lightbringer by Brent Weeks, and Of Blood and Bone by John Gwynne.
PHASE 5 - Finally, at the end of my journey, in the current phase, I'm going back and attempting to read a lot of the classics of the genre that have influenced the genre from the beginning. Books like Watership Down by Richard Adams, Ursula K. LeGuin's Earthsea stories, or Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern (still in my TBR pile). I've also read the Malazan books by Steven Erickson and Ian C. Esslemont, which I would not have read when I was much younger. Very complicated plot, but awesome characters and a fun ride.
Overall, I'd say I'm a fairly well-rounded fantasy reader, though I have my preferred tastes. Now that I'm entering my twilight years, I don't know that I'll branch out as much as I might have in the past, simply because the market is so over-saturated with content. I wouldn't even know where to start with a new author unless I have a really good recommendation from someone I trust.
Have you gone through phases like this in your life?
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MORON RECOMMENDATIONS
How does one clear the name of an accused murderer if he refuses to cooperate, is also a duke, and your brother? This is the quandary facing Lord Peter Wimsey in Dorothy Sayers' Clouds of Witness. In the story, the fiancé of their sister is found dying of a gunshot wound in the middle of the night, in the Duke of Denver's lodge with the Duke standing over him.
Peter Wimsey immediately races to the scene to try and clear his brother, but the Duke refuses to discuss the case, relying on the House of Lords to clear him. Wimsey must trace the clues of fiancé Cathcart's life and death to find out the truth. He must travel to Paris and then eventually New York to ferret out the answers, and then make a risky transatlantic flight to produce his evidence before the House.
The story involves several twists, including a member of the socialist party who is an additional suitor for his sister, a nearly fatal encounter in a bog near the manor, and dissembling by both his brother and sister. With a twist at the end, Wimsey wraps up the case with a shocking testimony in the House of Lords. This is another clever novel from one of the titans of the golden age of British mysteries.
Posted by: Thomas Paine at December 21, 2025 09:18 AM (0U5gm)
Comment: An American author, Edgar Allan Poe, might have created the detective mystery genre, but I think the British may have perfected it. Seems like a lot of early detective mystery authors came from the British Isles. That's not to say there aren't excellent American mystery authors, of course. However, I suspect a lot of them were influenced by British authors like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Dame Agatha Christie, and Dorothy Sayers, among others.
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Reading Piano Man by Charles Beauclerk, a biography of British pianist John Ogdon.
Winner of the 1962 Tchaikovsky Competition. Ogdon was a prodigiously talented pianist with a huge repertoire and extraordinary technique. But he had lifelong mental problems. He was the child of a tyrannical lunatic father and an unloving stage mother. His success at the keyboard led his agency to overwork and underpay him.
In 1973, he had a severe breakdown due to bipolar disorder. He never truly recovered and was in and out of mental institutions before dying in 1989 of undiagnosed diabetes. Even through all this, he continued to perform at an astonishing level, including a complete performance of Sorabji's 4 1/2 hour Opus Clavicembalisticum.
Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at December 21, 2025 11:00 AM (tgvbd)
Comment: What is it about genius-level talent that it seems to come with a lot of drawbacks? Geniuses often seem to have terrible backgrounds in their lives, or suffer from other mental or physical disorders that hinder their abiliy to interact with normal people. They can be supremely competent in one or two areas, but may have extreme difficulties in leading a normal life. And yet, without them, human progress as a species might not be possible.
The Final Architecture Book 1 - Shards of Earth by Adrian Tchaikovsky
As I mentioned last week, I purchased this series with gift cards from my bosses at work. It's not a bad series at all, though I don't think Tchaikovsky lives up to the hype I've seen elsewhere.
The Architects--inscrutable, invulnerable, inevitable. They came from the the depths of unspace to remake inhabited planets, twisting them into bizarre, otherwordly, yet also beautiful artworks. Earth was only one of their most recent victims--ten billion souls wiped out in just a few hours as an Architect turned our beautiful blue jewel of a planet inside out. Nothing could stop them. Until one woman was able to form a psychic connection with an Architect to ask it one simple question: "Why?" Then they disappeared for over fifty years, while the rest of the galaxy recovered from the onslaught.
Now they are back and only one man, a broken remnant from the Intermediary program that stopped the Architects in their tracks, may hold the key to stopping them again. Unfortunately, every faction in the galaxy--both human and alien--now wants Idris on their side, as they know he's one of the very few people in history to survive an attack from an Architect. His mysterious gifts within unspace allow him deep insight into the Architects' mad schemes for reforming the galaxy on their terms.
The Final Architecture Book 2 - Eyes of the Void by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Idris and his companion Solace have stopped an Architect once again, at the same distant planet where they destroyed an Architect before. The Architects haven't forgotten. The Essiel Hegemony, once thought to be the only race capable of guarding planets against an Architect's attack have been proven to be as impotent as the rest of the galaxy. The Architects have also revealed a tiny weakness, a chink in their near-invincible armor that Idris and his companions hope to exploit to understand the Architects' overall goal and perhaps save the remaining human colonies. Unfortunately, galaxy has devolved into a bickering shooting war over trivial nonsense, instead of uniting to face the new threats.
Or so argue Nvidia and Groq's lawyers as the FTC no doubt prepares for a endoscopic examination of their respective corporate records.
Nvidia buying another AI company would lead to messy stuff like regulatory approval, and Nvidia doesn't have time for that. So they paid $20 billion for a non-exclusive license to the technology... Oh, and that also included Groq's executive and engineering teams and all their patents and trade secrets.
But not the company itself, or any duty to support its customers. GroqCloud has been left to quietly die under control of the former CFO, drained of its engineering talent and indeed its entire reason to exist.
What Groq actually does is interesting: They make chips that use hundreds of megabytes of internal SRAM rather than tens of gigabytes of external DRAM, and have staggering amounts of bandwidth - 80 terabytes per second per chip.
Not suitable for training LLMs but great for running them once they have been trained.
As for the deal: Is this technically illegal? Possibly. Will Nvidia get away with it? Probably.
It has a lot more features than the DEG1 - it supports ThunderBolt 5 as well as OCuLink, and provides an M.2 slot, 2.5Gb Ethernet, a second ThunderBolt port for other peripherals, and two USB 3.2 ports.
Priced at $240. If you have OCuLink and don't need that extra stuff, the DEG1 is still available at $99.
It uses a PowerPC CPU (which the Amiga never did but might have done if Commodore hadn't gone extremely bankrupt) and a standard micro-ATX motherboard. It provides three PCIe slots, two M.2 slots, four USB ports, and a single DDR3L memory slot.
I say "could" here as does the article but given that OpenAI is projected to be losing $74 billion per year by 2028 even if it meets revenue forecasts I'd upgrade that probability to 100%.
Or something. Sorry - no offence to Tech Crunch here, they're just reporting the news - but the story was so dumb it gave me both retrograde and anterograde amnesia. And also the other kind, the kind they don't talk about, that erases your memories in parallel universes where you didn't even read the article.
Shoe On Head Interlude
"This video is age-restricted and only available on YouTube." Because warning about a problem gets you censored but causing the problem is absolutely fine.
It's like these people are actively working to prove those ban-happy politicians correct.
(Link goes to a Shoeonhead video about teen dating apps which are every bit the cesspool you are expecting.)
Musical Interlude
I still remember where I first heard this song.
Disclaimer: Dalton Brooks got his coffee but we never got the game promised in the trailer.
Saturday Night "Club ONT" December 27, 2025 [The 3 Ds]
—Open Blogger
Welcome to Club ONT. A collaboration the 3D's - The Disco, The Dino, and The Doggo. We hope everyone had a wonderful, whelming and blessed Christmas - and that you enjoyed/endured family, food, traditions, and cheer. Welcome back.
Last Club ONT of 2025. Have you come to party?!? Please have your password and restroom tokens ready. Make a new friend or 2. Tip your bartender. DO NOT try the veal.
One Sunday morning, the priest noticed little Alex standing in the foyer of the church staring up at a large plaque. It was covered with names with small USA flags mounted on either side of it.
The seven year old had been staring at the plaque for some time, so the priest walked up, stood beside the little boy, and said quietly, "Good morning Alex."
"Good morning father," he replied, still focused on the plaque. "Father, what is this?" he asked the priest.
The priest said, "well, son, it's a memorial to all the young men and women who died in the service."
Soberly, they just stood together, staring at the large plaque.
Finally, little Alex's voice, barely audible and trembling with fear, asked, "which service, the 9:00 or the 11:00?"
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A couple made a deal that whoever died first would come back and inform the
other if there was sex after death. Their biggest fear was that there was no
after-life at all.
After a long life together, the husband was the first to die.
True to his word, he made the first contact: "Judy........Judy"
"Is that you, George?""
"Yes, I've come back like we agreed."
"That's wonderful!? What's it like?"
"Well, I get up in the morning, I have sex.
I have breakfast and then it's off to the golf course.
I have sex again, bathe in the warm sun and then have sex a couple of more times.
Then I have lunch (you'd be proud - lots of greens).
Another romp around the golf course, then pretty much have sex the rest of the afternoon.
After supper, it's back to golf course again.
Then it's more sex until late at night.
I catch some much-needed sleep and then the next day it starts all over again."
"Oh, George, are you in Heaven?"
"No, I'm a rabbit in Kansas."
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At a wedding ceremony when the pastor said, "Speak now or forever hold your peace." The moment of silence was broken by a young beautiful woman carrying a child. She stood up and started walking slowly toward the pastor.
All hell broke loose.
The bride threw the bouquet on the floor and burst out crying. Then the groom's mother fainted.
The best man fidgeted, wondering how to save the situation.
The pastor said to the woman, "Why have you came forward? What do you have to say?"
There was absolutely thundering silence in the church as the woman replied,
"We can't hear in the back."
Ingredients
1 lime wedge
Finely grated lime zest, for rim
Kosher salt
1 1/2 oz. tequila blanco
1/2 oz. concentrated cherry juice
1/2 oz. fresh lime juice
1/2 oz. maraschino cherry syrup from jar
1/2 oz. triple sec
Ice
Lime slices and maraschino cherries, for serving
Directions
Rub the rim of a margarita glass with lime wedge. Mix lime zest and salt on a shallow plate. Roll rim of glass in lime zest mixture until coated.
In a cocktail shaker, combine tequila, cherry juice, lime juice, maraschino cherry syrup, and triple sec. Fill shaker with ice, cover, and vigorously shake until outside of shaker is very frosty, about 20 seconds.
Fill prepared glass with more ice. Strain margarita into glass. Garnish with lime slice and maraschino cherry.
A German man who earned a Guinness World Record for his collection of 6,100 snow globes in 2002 revealed his collection has now grown to 11,000 pieces.
Josef Kardinal broke his own record for the largest collection of snow globes when a Guinness World Records adjudicator visited his Nuremberg home and confirmed he now owns 11,000 different snow globes.
Kardinal, who has been collecting snow globes since 1994, said the oldest item in his collection is an Eiffel Tower-themed snow globe made in Paris in 1889.
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Club ONT Department of History
The unwashed and patchouli people should take note.
Zooming in on the container above: For Laundry use only. For all white and colored work. For removal and control of rust! Contains fluorine compounds. Poisonous if taken internally.
AI tells us that it is a veneer canister or a coopered veneer tube. Common in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Thin sheet of veneer, steam softened / shaped, with an overlapped or scarf-jointed seam. Metal bands at the top and bottom for structural strength and to keep it from "springing" open. Top and bottom were solid wood. Cool!
Found an old NY Times archive (November of 1939) that mentions Penn Salt acquired Erusto - cannot link it's pay to view style.
Well into the 19th century, soap was heavily taxed as a luxury item in several countries. When the tax was removed, soap became available to most people, and cleanliness standards across societies improved.
***
This D knows nearly nothing about Russian history. One helluva statue, however.
The statue is already clearly visible through a huge opening in the roof from the Hall of Military Glory. Its sculptor, Yevgeny Vuchetich, once said the following to the famous physicist and human rights activist Andrei Sakharov: "My bosses asked me why her mouth is open, it doesn't look beautiful. And I answered, because she is screaming: 'For the Motherland, you motherf…ers!' They never asked again."
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Statues. Skipping the icons. Heading straight to the weird and amusing.
25 Weirdest Statues and Sculptures. It's got the Corporate Head Sculpture, Male Tranny Taunting Local Pickpockets, The Kindlifresserbrunnen” – Weird Statue Of An Ogre Eating Children, and more.
The “De Vaartkapoe” statue by Belgian artist Tom Frantzen depicts a young rebel rising up from the sewers to trip and topple over a policeman thus overthrowing his authority. Created in 1985, the statue is located in Sint-Jans-Molenbeek, Belgium.
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Club ONT Department of "Where did the year go?"
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Club ONT Stocking Stuffer Messaging
Slowly working up to chloroform.
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Club ONT Music
No frankincense or myrrh here - just GOLD!
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Club ONT Department of Setting Personal Goals
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Comments of the Year Top 10ish Comments of the Week
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Before you leave!
Not sure this is a good idea, but feel free to drop a card in the ol' suggestion box. How can we make the Club even better in 2026?
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Club ONT brought to you by: Motivation.
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Please keep Schnoflepuppy and pookysgirl and their families in your prayers. Tough times of personal loss for both. Check the prayer thread this morning. Content, and comments 69, 422 and 423. May God give them strength and comfort.
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Club ONT hopes that you enjoyed the Festivus program of "Airing of Grievances." We apologize to those of you who were disappointed after expecting "Airing of Cleavages." That is a completely different event. Check back when the weather gets warmer...
This isn't Christmas Eve fare, and I thought about waiting until the 26th to post it, but supposedly an amateur detective has solved the Zodiac killer mystery. And the horrific Black Dahlia killing. He says it's the same person! I always thought of them as very far apart in time but I think Black Dahlia was mid-fifties (nope, 1947) mid and the Zodiac murders began in 1968 so it's possible it's the same killer.
The killer, if it's the same man, would have been in his 20s when he killed the Black Dahlia and his 40s when he did the Zodiac murders. Possible.
A little caveat: I saw someone snark on Reddit, "The Zodiac case gets solved more often than Wordle." There are a ton of coincidences here, supposedly, like a Zodiac cipher being solved by the name "Elizabeth." Elizabeth Short was the name of the so-called Black Dahlia.
If you don't know about the Black Dahlia, don't look it up. Just accept that it's grisly on the level of Jack the Ripper.
Yes, the named suspect resembles the police sketch of Zodiac.
Podcast: Will Ukraine be a flashpoint for a Korean conflict, Trump's intemperate Reiner comments, it's the economy stupid! the Monroe/Trump Doctrine, Bondi, Brown, MIT, and more!
Megyn Kelly finally calls out Candace Owens
Whoops, I meant she bravely attacks Sydney Sweeney for "bending the knee." (Sweeney put out a very empty PR statement saying "I'm against hate." Whoop-de-doo.)
Megyn Kelly claims she doesn't want to call people out on the right when asked about Candace Owens but then has no compunctions at all about calling people out on the right.
As long as they're not Candace Owens. Strangely, she seems blind and deaf to anything Candace Owens says. That's why this woman calls her "Megyn Keller."
She's now asking her pay-pigs in Pakistan how they think she should address the Candace Owens situation, and if they think this is really all about Israel and the Jews.
Podcast: Pete Hegseth is everything the left hates...and we love! Illinois is the next flashpoint for federal supremacy with regard to our borders, Trump's communication leaves something to be desired, and more!
I have happily forgotten what Milo Yiannopoulos sounds like, but I still enjoyed this impression from from Ami Kozak.
Well, bamboo is actually a type of grass, and underground, it's all connected in a sprawling network, just like the parts of this story I never wanted to tell. I wish I hadn't been put in this position, that I didn't have to write about any of this, that I didn't have to subject myself or my loved ones to embarrassment and further loss of privacy.
We're back to the fucking bamboo. Guys, I don't think I can pay for bamboo ruminations.
I think he added that because he was embarrassed about all the bamboo imagery from Part 1. He's justifying his twin obsessions: His ex, and bamboo. Which is not a tree but a kind of grass, he'll have you know.
