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The Donald Trump revenge tour is in full swing. The former president has again proven that the 2016 makeover of the Republican Party was no one-off fluke. It was a seismic shift regarding the composition of the party base, which is bluer collar and working class, and the priorities of its voters. The neo-populist moment that burst onto the scene in the 2010 midterms with the Tea Party wave reached full maturation during the 2016 cycle. In 2022, Donald Trump’s endorsement not only carries weight—virtually all his endorsed candidates have won their primary races—he’s picking off those who joined the effort to impeach him on the bogus charges manufactured by congressional Democrats
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) of Alaska is next. Murkowski and Sens. Mitt Romney (R-UT) and Susan Collins (R-ME) form a trio that has become a political bone spur to Republicans. When there is a vote where total Republican Party unity is required, they’re dithering on the sidelines. Murkowski voted to confirm Vanita Gupta, one of Biden's most radical DOJ nominees, to her position at the Department of Justice as associate attorney general. Murkowski faces a challenge from Kelly Tshibaka, who is Trump endorsed.
Murkowski got an endorsement from the state’s AFL-CIO chapter. Need I say more about Ms. Lisa? She also doesn’t care about the shifts within the party. She’s already survived one attempt to purge her and successfully fended it off in a write-in candidacy in 2010. Murkowski lost her primary to Joe Miller during the Tea Party wave. She couldn’t care less what you think of her—and she’s as independent as ever.
The one thing that could save her again for this contest is how Alaska holds its primaries. It’s through a ranked-choice voting system, which appears geared to protect incumbents. The Washington Post had a good explainer of how this voting system works:
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And that brings us to Project Veritas who captured a Murkowski aide explaining how they’re hoping to rig the election:
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In the video, Josiah Nash, who works as the campaign’s Interior Coordinator, is recorded admitting that while Sen. Murkowski was publicly neutral, she secretly supported the implementation of a ranked voting system in Alaska because that is her route to victory.
“She stayed quiet and honestly it was probably best she stayed quiet on that,” Nash said, adding that “she supports it, yeah.”
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Some of Murkowski’s top staffers had previously worked to pass the ballot initiative that established ranked voting in the state that would benefit the incumbent senator, which also explains her reported silence on the measure. Now, that’s some swampy stuff right there.
I will tip my hat to Murkowski for being one of the few candidates to mount a successful write-in effort following a primary loss, but that’s over. This primary will be another test of the Trump moment, as the establishment has packed enough sandbags around Murkowski to scale Mount Fuji. Alaskans go to the polls on August 16, the same day as Wyoming Republicans, who are sure to end the public career of Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY). At least one RINO is going down that night. Two would be better.
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Evil X and Vespa
Summary: Based in the Hels Kitchen scene, Helsknight opts to let Evil X and our beloved Hels Beesuma (whom I’ve named Vespa) meet and it doesn’t go down the way EX intends for it to. Turns out not all Xisuma’s seem to get along with each other.
Based on this drawing
Enjoy!
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Most would assume Evil Xisuma was what was considered a ‘Hels’ Xisuma. The most consistently dreadful alter ego donned in red and a black visor? Surely, he must be. And yet, he isn’t. That role was given to a much, much older version of Xisuma that had existed long before Evil Xisuma was created.
And of course, Evil X was rather surprised…and envious.
Come the reveal of the realm of Hels, Evil X opted to follow Helsknight into the fiery lands where he assumed by some odd logic, or a mere assumption, that he was the only Evil Xisuma to exist. Obviously, Xisuma lied about meeting some “Evil” Evil X. Stupid! No such thing. And so, Evil X disregarded the thought that there was not an Xisuma in Hels already. And of course, he’s not going to ask.
Meeting other evil, or ‘Hels’ Hermits as Helsknight called them, was hardly on Evil X’s mind. A bonus, perhaps. His derpcoin scheme may grow easily that way if he cared to have the help but Helsknight was just enough.
Between the first invitation to Hels and the day he decided to call for Helsknight, Evil X rarely visited Hels. Very little exploration led to being very unfamiliar when he came back. Yet, many older faces he had seen, his own minions even, were sitting at the many booths and stools while he waited to start his dastardly meeting plans.
It was a simple greeting at first. He nodded as Helsknight came with a short ‘I got held up’ and the two decided it was worth getting a bite to eat while they discussed their plans. Time had passed and they found themselves talking on loose threads about anything they could after the food on their plates went a bit lukewarm (cold, maybe, but not in Hels). After a while, Evil X found himself enjoying Helsknight’s company.
“I gotta say, you’re way less boring than I thought you’d be,” he eventually chuckled, taking a small sip of his third drink of the evening. “Tell me, are all those Hels Hermits of yours like that?”
Helsknight laughs in a short ‘HA’. “No, no, they’re not. If you’ve got a Hermit you hate, chances are you won’t like the Hels.”
Evil X hums, setting the glass down. “To be fair, Wels is the one really philosophical dude, right? Takes things too seriously, I definitely don’t like him and his whole ‘knightly protection’ thing going on.” He raises his hands in air quotes as he speaks, rolling his eyes. “He hates the very definition of all evil. An absolute bore.”
As he goes on about Wels, Helsknight snorts and listens. “Hey now, I’m still his doppelganger, aren’t I? You sound just like Vespa the way you go on about Wels.”
The name earns a brief pause from Evil X as he raises a brow behind his visor. “Vespa? And they are…?”
Helsknight leans forward in disbelief, eyes widening in some kind of genuine shock. “You’re kidding right? Vespa? The Evil Xisuma of all Xisuma’s? Hels Xisuma?”
“But I’m Evil Xisuma-”
“You’re not Xisuma’s Hels, though. I’ve got no clue how exactly you must’ve been created or what but Vespa came long before you did, pal.” Helsknight almost can’t contain himself, face reddening with a wide grin. He moves to get up from the booth as Evil X watches and looks around. “Wait hold on I always see him here- Ah! Follow me.”
Evil X finds himself dragged from the booth by the wrist to the bar. Before he realizes what exactly Helsknight is showing him, his eyes fall on another man in much similar armor to Xisuma- only a dingy yellow, scuffed with scratches and chipped paint. A dull matte compared to Xisuma’s usual suit. And behind him a pair of long, thin insect-like wings. Stripes on the armor’s plating would suggest a hornet or wasp. Or of course…a bee.
The man at the bar finishes his glass- something of a strong black coffee and as much hard liquor as the ghast behind the counter would allow him. Antenna sprouting from the crown of his head perk up as Helsknight approaches to land a hard pat on his shoulder.
“Vespa! Same time as usual, huh? Figured I’d bring a friend over here for you, change the pace a little.” He offers Vespa a wink as he pulls Evil X into view. Yet, Vespa doesn’t match the widening eyes of Evil X’s red LEDs.
“You both talk very loud, Hels. I wasn’t going to let you make me spill my drink again.” Vespa lifts the now empty glass and sets it on the counter with a loud thud. He swivels his seat around, resting his elbow on the counter. “I’m beginning to feel there are too many Xisuma’s running around. One too many.” He narrows his eyes, a burning red just like Evil X’s crossed with a single thick scar on one side.
Evil X scoffs. “Alright, well you’re one to talk. I ain’t ever seen you before, so clearly you must be pretty useless yourself, huh?”
Vespa speaks simply, expression unchanging from an unimpressed scowl. “Useless? You’re a fraction of Xisuma born from a single death- an accident. I’m the world generated personification of every awful detail about the very man you seem to just barely annoy. In fact, last I checked, he even likes you.”
“Not much for small talk, are you,” the other says, already more than annoyed.
“Not my thing. My time is precious here.”
“Oh is it now-”
“Yes, and you haven’t seemed to have accomplished much in your time. Believe me, I’ve seen everything. You poor thing, Xisuma practically tucks you into bed at night now that you live together.”
“You–! I control him and he works for me. And didn’t you hear? He’s long past the whole bee thing. You’re a bit late.”
“Very impressive,” is all that Evil X gets. And oddly enough it infuriates him more past the initial sense of pride. Vespa lifts his glass again to the ghast which takes it. “Another.” It’s a long moment before he speaks again. “What does he do for you? Clearly not enough that you asked for help.”
Evil X growls, balling his hands into fists. “Oh you know,” he says through gritted teeth. “Just exploiting every Hermit on the server through a server-wide currency scheme. Care to keep answering your own questions for me since you know everything?”
“Every Hermit?” Vespa asks, finally sounding amused and ignoring the rest of Evil X’s statement. “Look at that, you can control, oh, 25? 26 people? Is this why you need help? A bit of management assistance?”
Helsknight snorts, knowing well what’s to come of the conversation. “Oh no, I’m helping him control more of them, haven’t snagged everyone just yet but we’ve got what? 5 Hermits?” All he earns from Evil X is a hard glare.
“Well, I don’t see you doing any better!” He turns to Vespa again. “Is that all you do? The big bad Xisuma from Hels sits and drinks himself to death every single day? Why don’t you get up and do something with yourself then?”
The knight grins at Evil X, glancing briefly at Vespa who chugs his next cup and swallows hard. “No,” he says.
Vespa slams down the glass this time, empty aside from the long crack that shoots up the side. The sound of the impact gets the attention of most, if not all in the bar, and Vespa stands. He’s just a few inches above Evil X and yet he towers over the man. Among the now silent bar, he speaks.
“Do you have a name, Evil Xisuma?”
Everyone waits, and Evil X swallows as his ears turn a bit red. Thankfully hidden inside his helmet. “I uh- I mean it’s. It’s Evil Xisu-”
“Is it? Is that all you’ve cared to call yourself? Nothing except a self proclaimed title that you can’t keep up with.”
“...Yes?”
Vespa scoffs. “Right. Do you know who I am, then?”
The other goes to laugh. “I’m not answering some stupid- wOAH–!” The answer is cut off by the way the ghast takes Evil X by the shoulders, dragging him to pin him down against the bar. Bent back against it. “What is this?!”
Seeing this, people begin to crowd around the trio, most serving Evil X hateful stares.
“Let me break it down for you, Evil Xisuma,” Vespa starts. “I’m sure you’re familiar with a little server where they build and play games and sing Kumbaya, but we have a system here, buddy. This is a fraction of a realm of the world's worst kinds of people and I manage a what’s practically a kingdom of many of those people. Armies of thousands that do as I say and I have grown to gain a level of respect and authority beyond what you’ll ever achieve. They fight for me.”
Evil X stares and then looks around the room. Among the many faces, Helsknight seems more than amused. Excited, even. And he swallows at the thought. These people won’t listen to him.
“O-Okay. And what about it?” He regrets asking immediately but his pride will forever be his downfall.
Vespa uses no words. A mere whistle and a nod towards Evil X and a patron approaches to remove his helmet. A second patron takes the helmet while the first reels his arm back with a tight fist, and in less than a second a hard punch throws Evil X’s head back against the counter. The action has Evil X writhing in the ghast’s tightening grip and he snarls. With the sound, he flares up in sharp red bolts that make the ghast cry out and let go.
Of course, such a varied group finds its way to keep him tied down. Quite literally. Among the crowd are summoned black thorny vines that shove him back down. Much to Vespa’s surprise even. Still, he continues.
“Care to try again?” he asks. “Such a shame, if you were just a little kinder the way you should’ve been, I might’ve helped you with your little corporate scheme.”
“Alright, alright, I’m done. Just let me go, man,” Evil X grumbles.
“I don’t think I will. Seems you like getting yourself out of your own messes so I’ll leave you to it.” Vespa turns to the crowd, a smug grin on his face. “Please, give him a warm welcome to Hels.”
#hermitcraft#evil hermits#xisumavoid#xisuma#evil xisuma#hels xisuma#vespa#my fics#I really like writing :)
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The Stunning Transformation Of Caitríona Balfe
Few shows have had as big a cultural impact as "Outlander." Based on the novels by Diana Gabaldon, the show follows a World War II nurse who finds herself transported to 17th-century Scotland when she finds magical stones in the Highlands. The show was Caitríona Balfe's big break — previously, the Irish actor had worked as a model and appeared in only a few small productions. However, since playing "Outlander's" Claire, she has become one of TV's most recognizable faces. She has also landed roles in films like "Ford v Ferrari" alongside Matt Damon and Christian Bale and Kenneth Branagh's Oscar-winning "Belfast."
With "Outlander" nearing its series finale in 2023, Balfe is looking ahead to new projects such as the upcoming "The Amateur," as the era draws to a close. It's the perfect time to reflect on her career so far. So, without further ado, here is the stunning transformation of Caitríona Balfe.
Caitríona Balfe’s upbringing in Northern Ireland colored the rest of her life
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Caitríona Balfe was born in 1979 in the rural village of Tydavnet (1) near the Northern Irish border. Her upbringing in Ireland has colored her entire life. "It's such a part of the fabric of your life when you live in those areas," she told Vanity Fair in 2022. "It's really not until you get older that you look back and you realize the craziness of it, or the strangeness of it."
And by the sounds of things, it was certainly an abnormal place to grow up. Growing up so close to the border, Balfe was used to being surrounded by British soldiers and once even found herself in the middle of a bomb scare.
Her father was a garda, the national name for the Irish police force, and she was sometimes bullied for it. "Let's say being the daughter of a garda in 1980s borderland counties was not the easiest thing," she later told The Irish Times.
Caitríona Balfe was a voracious reader as a child
As a young girl, Caitríona Balfe filled most of her time with reading. In fact, when she was young, her father took away the family's TV, so instead, she looked to literature for stories and entertainment. As she told The Irish Times, she raced through the classics, including Emily Brontë, Aldous Huxley, George Orwell, and Robert Pirsig — she also was a fan of modern writers like Ian McEwan.
When Balfe reached adulthood, her love of literature continued to be a big part of her life. "You always find her on set with a book," her co-star Maria Doyle Kennedy said. "She's a ferocious reader." And, in 2019, Balfe told Stylist, "I could just lock myself away and just read for a month, which would be so lovely."
She even started her own book club on Instagram where she posts videos about what she's reading for her fans. "First rule of book club.... We read ! Then we talk..!" she wrote in one of the first posts in 2020.
Caitríona Balfe grew up wanting to act
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From a very young age, Caitríona Balfe knew exactly what she wanted to do with her life: acting. "It's in you, right?" she said to Backstage when asked about her first inspirations. "Like it's something you're either cursed with, you know, this need for attention and need to perform and all those things," she added, laughing.
Not only was she the fourth of seven children and therefore used to seeking out attention, she also had acting in her blood. After all, her father was something of an amateur actor himself, having appeared in a comedy troupe. "If my dad has some inclination towards it, there is probably something passed down," she mused to The Irish Times. Plus, she added, acting offered a much-needed form of escapism. "[T]here wasn't an awful lot of things to do," she said.
When she got older, Balfe pursued her passion for acting taking a course at the Dublin Institute of Technology.
Caitríona Balfe moved to Paris and began working as a model
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Before Caitríona Balfe finished her course at drama school, she was scouted by a modeling agent. "I took what I thought was going to be a year out," she told Backstage, "and I never went back. Very, very bold of me."
Balfe dove into her unexpected modeling career, setting off for Paris. "I always just wanted to travel," she explained to Vanity Fair. "Growing up, we never did that — there were too many of us. We didn't have the money."
Even though Balfe had always dreamed of acting, modeling also appealed to her innate desire to perform. As she put it, "There was something about the theatricality of the runway shows — and the event of it — that I really loved." And she was pretty good at it. She appeared in shows for all of the big designers, including Chanel, Alexander McQueen, and Valentino, and even walked the runway as a Victoria's Secret Angel. And so, for a while at least, she committed herself to a career in the modeling industry.
Caitríona Balfe moved to New York City as her relationship with modeling soured
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Throughout her 20s, Caitríona Balfe's modeling career careened from success to success. She modeled all over the world but eventually found herself settled down in New York City. "That's been the longest of anywhere since I left Ireland," she told Backstage in 2020. After a decade of modeling, Balfe began to crave something new. "For the last couple of years [of modeling] I was miserable, really," she confessed to Vanity Fair. "It's not exactly the nicest industry or the healthiest industry."
So, discontented with modeling, she revisited her passion for acting, first taking a few classes and later landing a tiny role as one of the "clackers" in the 2006 film "The Devil Wears Prada." "I think they just came to modeling agencies and were like, 'We need a bunch of women who can walk in heels,'" she recalled of the lucky break during an appearance on "The Hollywood Reporter's Awards Chatter" podcast. "My agency knew I wanted to act and if people would come looking for stuff, they were sending me out to a few auditions."
Caitríona Balfe moved to LA to start an acting career
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When Caitríona Balfe had finally had enough of modeling, she decided to take a leap of faith into the world of acting — so, she left New York behind and set off for Los Angeles. "LA is where I came and said, 'OK, this is what I wanna do with my life,'" she said to Backstage of her first impressions. She continued taking classes — one was even a $5 class. As she told The Irish Times, "These are the weird things I did when I was wanting to be an actor in LA when I first got here."
In fact, it sounds like Balfe's early years in L.A. were filled with bold, "weird" decisions. For one thing, she only knew one person in the city when she moved. Balfe knew that moving to LA was a bit crazy — but she committed to living in a "bubble of delusion." As she put it, "I guess ultimately I was like: 'I can make this work.'"
At first, following her dream of acting wasn't easy
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Life in L.A. was anything but easy for Caitríona Balfe when she first arrived. Initially, she faced rejection after rejection. "I started from scratch. I didn't have any managers, I didn't know any agents, I hadn't acted in almost a decade," she told Backstage of her initial struggles to land work.
But even though Balfe dealt with lots of rejection, she persevered. Luckily, modeling had given her a thick skin that served her well. "In an audition, if it didn't work out, it wasn't always because you didn't do a good job, or you weren't good," she explained to The Guardian. "It was other arbitrary things like your name's not big enough. Which can also be soul-destroying, but I don't know, it's different."
Balfe did land a few roles, but they were few and far between. In 2011, she had a small role in the film "Super 8." In 2012, she landed a guest role on "The Beauty Inside" and the show "H+." In 2013, there were several films: "Crush," "Now You See Me," and "Escape Plan." Slowly, she was building a stronger CV.
Caitríona Balfe landed her big break with Outlander in 2014
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Everything changed for Caitríona Balfe in 2014 when she landed the lead role on the much-hyped Starz show "Outlander." "It was a total crapshoot," Balfe later recalled of the audition for the show while speaking to The Guardian. "I had done a few jobs, nothing of note really. I was living in LA and I was really struggling, actually, it was about four or five months since I'd had a job."
At the time, she didn't realize how big the book series was. "I wasn't even aware of the book series when I got the first audition," she said to Vogue. "Apparently, they had been searching for [Claire] for a very long time."
Balfe landed the role when she was about to head off on a holiday in India. Because her career was going slowly in LA, she decided to leap headfirst into a new life, filming in Scotland. "I didn't realize I'd still be there almost eight and a half years later," she later admitted to The Guardian.
Caitríona Balfe shot to fame almost instantly afterward
Almost as soon as "Outlander" came out, Caitríona Balfe became one of TV's biggest names. Ronald D. Moore, who developed "Outlander," had warned Balfe about just how life-changing the role would be. "I walked her to the elevator, and just before the doors closed on her, I said, 'Your life is about to change forever,'" he said to Backstage, recalling the day she was cast. "And she gave me a grin that was both thrilled and slightly nervous. I never saw her hesitate after that."
The first episode premiered at Comic Con. "It was insane," she told Vogue. Soon enough, she began to notice her fame growing. As she told Backstage, she had only a few hundred followers on Twitter before playing Claire. "Within about a month or two, it was thousands of people — and my phone, I didn't know how to turn off the alerts, so it was just going all the time," she said. That's when she realized just how big she was becoming.
Caitríona Balfe became lifelong friends with her co-star Sam Heughan
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Fame wasn't the only life-changing thing to come from her role in "Outlander" — Caitríona Balfe also gained a lifelong friend in Sam Heughan, her co-star. As Balfe explained to Parade, the pair made a conscious decision to become friends before filming even began. "We were just talking about it and we were like, 'Who knows what this is going to be?'" she recalled. The pair agreed to "have each other's backs." She added, "[W]e've done that from day one."
Since then, the pair have only become closer. In fact, during ATX TV's Women of "Outlander" panel, Balfe explained that she and Heughan have never even argued — although they have bickered. Heughan chimed in: "As our lives have gotten more complicated and busy, we may not see each other as much as we used to, but that core and that friendship and that base that we have has never changed." How adorable is that?
Caitríona Balfe landed a number of big roles in the 2010s
As Caitríona Balfe's fame grew in the wake of "Outlander," she landed more big roles in Hollywood — and worked with bigger and bigger stars.
In 2016, she landed a role in Jodie Foster's all-star film "Money Monster" — her co-stars included George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Dominic West, and Giancarlo Esposito. Sadly, Balfe didn't get to work with them too much as most of her scenes were filmed in front of a green screen. Nevertheless, she was starstruck to be working with Roberts. "I couldn't stop staring at her during our first read-through," she told W Magazine.
In 2019, she played Mollie Miles, the wife of Christian Bale's character, in "Ford v Ferrari." Matt Damon also starred in the film. "I walked into that film with the idea that I was gonna be very intimidated by both him and Matt [Damon]," she told Collider. But she was pleasantly surprised. "Immediately, when you meet both of them [and] the first thing that struck me about both of them is that they're just these great, humble family men. There was no ego or bravado. It was lovely."
Caitríona Balfe starred in Kenneth Branagh's Belfast in 2021
Caitríona Balfe landed a huge role in Kenneth Branagh's "Belfast" in 2021, playing Ma, the mother figure in Branagh's semi-autobiographical tale about the Troubles in Ireland. For Balfe, the role was particularly meaningful — after years of acting in Scotland, "Belfast" was much closer to home for the Irish actor. "As an Irish person, you read so many of these scripts about the Troubles, and they all have this romantic version of the violence," Balfe told Vanity Fair. "Belfast," she explained, was different.
In fact, Balfe even saw her own family in the script. "Even though this is very much Ken's story, there's a universality to it that allows you to see your own," she told The Scotsman. "I definitely thought of my own mother in playing Ma."
Clearly, Balfe was extremely proud of the film. It was a huge hit and quickly generated awards buzz. However, Balfe remained characteristically humble. "I'm just happy that it's turned out as beautifully as it has and that it's getting the recognition it deserves because it's shot so beautifully and the hard work and heart and soul that went into making it are second to none," she said.
Caitríona Balfe had her first child in 2021
Caitríona Balfe began dating music producer (2) Tony McGill in 2015 (3). The pair married in 2019, and in 2021, they had their first child. Naturally, having a child gave Balfe a new set of priorities. Even though rumors circulated that she'd be nominated for an Oscar for her role in "Belfast," she found her self preoccupied with her new son. "Luckily, I'm doing a lot of that [changing nappies], so I'm actually not thinking about the awards too much: It's more, 'Stop peeing on me!'" she joked to The Guardian.
However, having a child also brought out Balfe's protective side — especially when she found out that a small group of fans online were convinced that her child was actually the product of an imagined affair with her "Outlander" co-star Sam Heughan. "I don't want those crazies — because that's what they are — I just don't want them talking about [my son]," she told Vanity Fair. Apparently, that's why she and McGill have kept their son's name private.
Caitríona Balfe is preparing to say goodbye to Outlander
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In 2023, Starz announced that "Outlander" would be coming to an end after its eighth season. After the WGA and SAG-AFTRA writer/actor strikes, filming for the final season was delayed. However, Balfe has already begun to mourn the end of the show that gave her her big break.
"Sam and I were doing a video for this season and I started to get emotional already," she told the Express. "It's going to be so weird. It's been such an amazing ride that it's nice to wrap it up while we all still love each other and we are all still feeling like we're making a good show."
Even though "Outlander" may be ending, we can't help but feel that Balfe's career is only just beginning. In fact, she's already set to appear in the film "Amateur" (4) in 2024 alongside Rami Malek, Rachel Brosnahan, and Laurence Fishburne. We can't wait to see what else she does next.
The List
Errors that caught Brian’s attention: (1) Dublin (2) artist/band manager (3) 2014 (4) First paragraph says “The Amateur,” as Malek has and IMDb did. Who knows? 🤷🏻♂️ The first promo art will tell us. 🍿
Remember… I walked her to the elevator, and just before the doors closed on her, I said, “Your life is about to change forever.” — Ronald D Moore
Cut & Paste journalism 🤦🏻♂️
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New Hampshire, Why Are You Doing This?
By: Matt Vespa
When the indictments were piling up, I was torn on Trump. Like most, I wanted a revenge tour. A Trump win in 2024 would cause the Left to suffer an aneurysm, but the trials and legal baggage were a general election worry. With the FBI begrudgingly releasing the FD-1023 report from their confidential information about the Biden bribery scheme with Burisma and IRS whistleblowers…
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Rome to Napoli -
We woke up, packed moderately frantically and hopped on the metro back to Rome termini. Matt had decided to take the free 3 hour regional train rather than paying a reservation fee for the faster 2 hour train, but we were pleased to find that it was not super crowded and reasonably well air conditioned. Our airbnb hosts offered to pick us up at the train station (“a free service included with the rental”), so we took advantage even though it looked like a pretty short walk. Antonio picked us up at our arranged meeting point, a Mexican restaurant that was about 9 min from the station then drove us for about 4 minutes to the place (we think we could've walked in all on our own in about 15 min 😂). Along the way he excitedly told us about how Napoli had won the Scudetto for the first time since Maradona was on the team and how they had 3 different parties to celebrate. We arrived at the place to find his brother and sister waiting for us and they all excitedly helped check us in and carry our stuff upstairs, at times talking over each other in their eagerness to give us advice. They were very kind, if a little overwhelming, and we definitely appreciated the printed list of their favorite pizza places in Napoli that they showed us. Napoli is the home of both buffalo mozzarella and pizza so Matt planned to have his diet only contain those things for the next 48 hours if at all possible. We then set out to explore and took the metro to what our hosts had recommended as the best nearby park for children, marveling en route at the amount of Napoli colored streamers and championship banners as well as Maradona tribute posters there were everywhere. The area we were staying in definitely felt the most rough around the edges of anywhere we’d stayed so far so we were looking forward to some park time for a change of scenery. On arrival we noted a sign stating many of the things we had planned to do were prohibited in the park (ie soccer/frisbee) so we let the kids play at a tiny playground for a bit, then they spontaneously started doing time trial sprints around a small loop in the path. We moved them along once that got a little too competitive and eventually came to a larger green space with lots of chairs set out in the grass and several other groups playing with soccer balls and other ball games. We decided to allow the kids to play soccer here as well and Henry/Oli again recruited an Italian boy to play with them (no one hassled us for breaking park rules as far as we could tell). The girls played some too and also found what seemed to be an extensive apartment complex of feral cats in a clearing there. Matt then led the family in search of a Maradona mural he saw on google maps. We took a funicular down a big hill into the Spanish quarter to find it. The Spanish quarter definitely was not touristy with big groups of local old men sitting out in tiny squares shooting the breeze, very limited sidewalks to speak of and people cruising around corners on vespas at breakneck speed. We survived our harrowing pilgrimage and found the Maradona mural (though we came to find out there were Maradona murals almost everywhere). We then hit up what our hosts had called “the main street of pizza” and went to a place called Matteo’s. It was number 4 on their list but we couldn’t pass up the name. All were satisfied with their meals and we emerged from the restaurant into a downpour. We quickly grabbed dessert and headed home, getting somewhat drenched (again) in the process.
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The Commonwealth Calls
Steel Clad Coffins: 4
Ahh, this has really been a load of fun to write out, this WIP! Looking forwards to the next part soon enough!
@theprissythumbelina , @athenswrites , @muddshadow , @sanguine-arena , @lividdreamz , @orphicpoieses , @moonlitinks , @moonscribbler
Spanning two dozen metres, the massive steel trestle bridge was a hive of activity. All around, engineers were at work repairing bomb damage and digging pits for their air defence missile systems, while a near constant stream of metal and men flowed across its length in the direction of the smoke plumes and the gunshots.
And across the breadth of the swift rapids below, a series of small pontoons swam across from bank to bank, carrying parties of armed troops or a heavy vehicle each at about the same rate as the bridge.
And on either bank of the river, guarding the militant procession, pits and trenches dug into the soil were home to nestled Wave Emission Scanners with their whirling dishes and lengthy antennae, while scattered around them the air defence batteries with their sharp snouted missiles were draped with camouflage netting, poised to lash out into the sky.
Standing atop a nearby hill, Colonello Flavio d'Conti stood, aides and staff bustling about behind him in a olive green tent, obscured within a patch of trees. Looking onto the masses of force before him, he let out a small laugh, and spoke on to no one in particular, though his deputy, Maggiore Zullo, stood close enough to hear.
"Una buona giornata, isn't it! Finally we'll get to do some proper fighting, and those damned dogs won't win a fair show! Now they can't even get their so called "air power" on our heads!"
"Mi Scusi, Colonello, but is it not too early for boasting? Remember what happened to the 9th Brigata, I hear their command tent's still smoldering on some hill after a strike."
"Devi Calmarti, Zullo, the damn fool forgot to shut up over his Signals! And besides, we're the ones with the new Vespas, and I'd take these new toys over the old trash any day! Bah, what's the worst that could happen?"
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300 kilometres away and closing in fast, the worst to come was cruising at fifteen thousand kilometres and hour and dipping between hills and over the very tops of trees. The flight of four SF.1 Barrow strike fighters streamed their way across the Bardinian skies and onto their target, taking care to avoid detection by air defence, the enemy's or, annoyingly their own. The route they took had them follow the gently curving valley after crossing the coastline from their Albionian air bases, and skirting far and wide from their true destination.
Taking the scenic route, Captain Amber "Silver" Garrett of the 426th Army Aviation Squadron could just make out the shapes of the homes and streets as they flew past her canopy and disappeared in her wake. Streaming on at the speed of sound, she still felt that their current trajectory was simply too slow. Then, as the flight made another hard turn to the right and passed over a vast open field of grain, golden for a harvest it likely would never see, a call came through.
"TOPPLE LEAD, this is GRATER. Strike request confirmed, deadline counting 10 minutes. Report status, Clear."
Garrett almost rolled her eyes, a quick glance at the air speed indicator, with its dial all the way through, was all that was needed to give her an answer. Her reply was terse, just professional enough over her mood.
"GRATER, this is TOPPLE LEAD, Clear On. In time and on schedule, clear skies over Route 316, no sensor emission warnings, Clear. Approaching target, request guide on RIVER LYE?"
"TOPPLE LEAD, Clear on, understood. RIVER LYE assets otherwise engaged, rely on TOPPLE 4 LYE for Tech-War support."
TOPPLE 4 LYE flew at the rear of the string of war birds. Coated in a matte black finish with red linings, the aircraft was one of the very few RIVER LYE graded Defence Suppression variants of the venerated Boxer Barrows, on loan from the 616th Squadron. It carried upon its wing pylons not the racks of rockets, bombs, and cluster dispensers the other three airframes had, but rather a pair of similarly matte black shapes, ovular elongated boxes that, Garrett hoped, might give her flight a better chance of making it out alive.
Again a voice broke through her stoic focus, this time that of Lieutenant "Lanky" Lim, her Air Technical Officer.
"Silver, we're getting to the final attack run. Starting to receive targeting information from ground forces, prepping warheads for track-and-follow. Clear."
"Clear On, Lanky. TOPPLE FLIGHT, are we all receiving?"
The sound of two more Clear Ons rang out in response.
"Alright, TOPPLE FLIGHT, you know what we're here form. Fling and fly for me and TOPPLE 2, nice and quick, ground troops are getting the bombs where they're needed. TOPPLE 3, stay hot while you're getting your clusters out, heavy air defence there, burn your way out. TOPPLE 4 LYE, begin RIVER LYE soon-as, with their sensors out we'll have a much safer trip.
All flights, happy hunting."
The ATO in TOPPLE-4-LYE reached out to their console, and with practiced instinct flipped a few switches. Then, the symphony began.
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First, the view on the screens of the dozen sensor systems in the vicinity of the bridge showed nothing but clar skies and the rolling shapes of the surrounding hills. The very next, they became an utterly incomprehensible mess of streaks and false readings, as the twin Sensor Interference Pods of TOPPLE-LYE-4 set to work.
Their operators froze in shock for a brief moments, before it hit them. Some ran from their stations to hide in cover or ditches, others frantically attempted to cut through the interference and find their impending attackers. They, too, flipped their switches and dials in the seconds before fated, frantic attempts to get a firing solution. They were too late.
In moments, all present heard a distant rumble from the east, which in short order grew to a deep growl and then a fiery, full throated roar as the 4 aircraft shrieked towards them. The first let out a volley of rockets and bombs that burned and turned in the air to smash themselves against the columns of armtracks and transports, punching through their thick armour and turning them into flaming candles as their crews were burnt to ashes and ammunition and fuel cooked off in a fireball. The second, hot on its lead's heels, shot a flurry of dumb rockets that sent a flurry of shrapnel that ripped through the tents and dug outs like a whirlwind of sharp steel, before loosing two massive bombs that smashed into either end of the bridge with unnatural precision, homing into their targets and erupting in shockwaves that cracked the bridge into pieces that crashed down onto the currents below, dragging the dozen vehicles on it down with them.
Finally, the third dove to the ground still far away from the main position now turned to a hellscape, then shot upwards, flinging from its belly some three hundred little black dots towards the masses of troops already caught in a frenzy. Moments later, with all 4 aircraft now streaked far and away, those little parcels finally hit the ground, and again the whole scene was engulfed in shrapnel and blasts which rocked the very ground and shattered everything it could.
Colonello d'Conti lay face down in a muddy ditch, his body torn through all across with streams of fast, white hot shrapnel. Covered in dirt thrown upon him from the blasts, now soaked in his blood, the last thing he saw was a single black dot in the sky, flying down towards him.
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"GRATER, this is TOPPLE LEAD. Strike successful, hauling back to base. Clear."
"Clear on, TOPPLE FLIGHT. Good job. Take Route 257 to WALKWAY, currently confirmed cleared."
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Hiding in a small dug out in the thick trees, Second Lieutenant Aliyah and Corporal Maroun had to duck down into their hole when the bombs started falling. Their Remote Guidance Optical System had done its job, and now looking though their regular binoculars they could assess the damage for the oncoming assault. Until then, they were content to stay still and look like trees. Masri looked onto the carnage they'd helped wreak with satisfaction, of a sort, and gave her orders to the Corporal in an almost wry voice.
"Well, Corporal, I think that was fairly successful. Call in to Battalion, tell them the bridge's blown and they've got the next ten minutes before anyone here gets a damned clue to do anything."
Corporal Maroun nodded, and silently crept back further into the dense forest. There, a dark green armoured car, covered in netting and leaves, awaited him. He worked his way in, turned on the radio within, and started relaying as ordered.
"EAGER, this is FLYEYE, Clear. Report strike successful, target demolished, significant enemy forces suppressed and neutered. Operation clear to proceed, Clear."
"FLYEYE, this is EAGER, Clear On. Message acknowledged, good job. Sit back and enjoy the show."
And with that, Corporal Maroun quickly made his way back to the diugout. Far and away, he could faintly hear another rumble, now of heavy tracks on freshly blooded soil, making its way onwards.
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So like, I made an OC skeleton! Just for fun lol, cross posted info from Twitter with some extra details thrown in here and there.
You know those "Delivery" and "Mail" Sans that went around on Twitter? Made me wonder, what about an Uber/Lyft Sans?
~The One Stop and Drop for Multiverse Travel~
Dude literally works for both ride companies and wears a reversable shirt he can flip to show who he's on the clock for, sometimes he even forgets to flip it XD (Black with green text for Uber, White with blue text for Lyft)
His hoodie is the same as always except it has "dash cams" built into it for safety reasons on the front (two cams, one each situated at the eyelets of his hood) and back (micro cam embeded in the threads in the center and identified as a plain looking black patch) lol he has to have camo cargo pants for maps and the various recipients he carries. Both his eyes light up insead of just one, and he is soft chubby boyo, perfect for hugs <3
Uses his shortcuts to get around with single passengers. If he has to take a whole group then he borrows (one of) Papyrus' cars, and then he's super protective of it.
One of the group is drunk? Nope, no ride for you, can't risk Pap's hand made upholstery! No drinkers accepted in group travel!
He has strict policies too! If he takes you to an AU it has to be on the "low risk of outcode destruction" list (updated weekly). He is your ride to and from, so best be ready for pick up at the agreed upon time or it's an unexpected new residency application for you. If you cancel the ride mid trip, wow he'll be super impressed! But you can bet he'll let you have a ride free of charge to a random anti-void/doodlesphere of his choosing >:3
And yep he'll get away with it too! Being the only monster that can offer these trips has it's advantages.
Uber/Lyft boyo only uses his personal Vespa when it's for a regular customer that he really likes.
Only people he trusts gets the pleasure of being snug on a seat with arms around him as he joyrides for fun. On his Vespa shortcuts are easier too, the transition isn't noticable because he acturally puts the effort in to make sure the passenger is enjoying themselves. Distraction is his best talent.
And hey, so what if his Vespa happens to be his date vehicle of choice? Not like that's a question that'll normally come up, and just because it's a deep matte blue with cheesy green flames painted on the sides of it doesn't mean he's trying to impress anyone!
As for why he can drop in spaces such as the Anti-void and doodlesphere on a whim?
Ever heard of the Infinate Improbability Drive?
Yep, hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy is his favorite series too. Anyways just like that, but he can acturally control it! When he's level headed ^^;
Panic teleports are a very real thing when startled. Last time he ended up near Nightmare's castle and oh boy 💦
Never again.
And like, TIPS? He barely did anything? Are you asking him out? You *flirt*! ;3
#undertale#undertale au#Ub/Lt! Sans#OC#my writing#I just thought it'd be hilarious#Sans just wants to make easy money#all the karens though omg
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Trump Jr. Responds to Hur Report With the Perfect Question Most Americans Are Asking
The Hur report dropped like a bomb on Thursday, and it may have just done in Biden's 2024 re-election campaign.
When the news came earlier in the week that the Biden team was worried about the report, you had to know it would be bad--and it is. It's worse than I expected in some of its details. By the way, was the Biden team given a tip-off on what was going to be in the report ahead of time? Because it sure sounds like it, based on that report.
The reactions to it are ripping up the internet, particularly the comments in the report that deal with how bad Biden was during questioning -- that he didn't know when he was vice president and didn't even know within years when his son died. Not to mention how he had documents all over the place; they were kept in an open box in the garage. Biden disclosed classified information as well.
Read More:
Even Without Recommending Criminal Charges, What the Hur Report Says About Joe Biden Is Devastating
Predictable: Special Counsel Lets Biden Off the Hook in Classified Documents Case
Leak: Biden Team Worried About What Special Counsel's Report Will Reveal on POTUS and Classified Docs
But Special Counsel Robert Hur seemed to give him a pass, weighing his age and issues heavily, saying he was an "elderly man with a poor memory." [emphasis added]
"Mr. Biden's memory was significantly limited, both during his recorded interviews with the ghostwriter in 2017, and in his interview with our office in 2023
Given that, Hur wasn't sure he could prove the mental state of willfulness to get a conviction.
Our sister site Townhall's Matt Vespa observed the reaction of Donald Trump Jr. He said it for all of us: how could Biden get a pass because of his incapacity, yet he's running and asking us to vote for him, for four more years, to be the leader of the free world with his hands on the nuclear codes. This is the guy who is going to be getting the 3 a.m. call?
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) February 8, 2024
Biden can't even answer an 8 p.m. call, let alone one at 3 a.m., plus half the time he's on vacation. It's part of the reason we had such a disastrous response to the Afghanistan fall -- he didn't speak publicly for a whole weekend when he was on vacation. Now, we have the Special Counsel telling us just how bad things are.
This is the ad of all ads to dump him, if he's still the nominee after this.
Trump Jr. is also right on the double standard. Biden appears to have documents taken over years, including ones he did not have a right to take away from a secure location, which he himself referenced when he talked some months ago about a 1974 document. In his remarks Thursday, he said that the investigation went back "40 years."
Read More: Biden Reacts to the Hur Report and It's a Horror Show of Confusion, With a Damning Admission
This seems.. important. https://t.co/3yI2do10vA pic.twitter.com/OyzE642iN7— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) February 8, 2024
Meanwhile, Trump isn't apparently old enough at 79 or worthy of that pass, as George Washington professor Jonathan Turley pointed out.
.....Biden is found to have "willfully retained" documents but he is still viewed as too "sympathetic" person for a potential jury. Conversely, Trump was clearly viewed as neither sympathetic nor sufficiently old to warrant such consideration.— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) February 8, 2024
This report screams of double standards.
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saw @rainbowbarnacle do this and i thought it might be fun so
Rules: Post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! Then tag as many people as you have WIPs
like she did i'm just going to list out my WIPs with a brief summary but if any of these sound interesting to you or you'd like to ask me questions please please do
also i don't have a single WIP folder because i organize all of my various universes into their own folders but here's the ones i'm most actively working on:
The House of Orchids v5 / The Tale of the Blackwood Company: the two main entries in my fantasy courtesans universe, the titular house of orchids. the first is about how the son of one of the most conservative noble lords in an incredibly repressive/homophobic empire gets found out for being a fairy and then sold to a brothel, meets another courtesan, perrin, whomst is hot dom that helps him work through his Issues around his sexuality, and finally, gets his revenge on the people that wronged him. dual protag situation, the other half is about aria, a former-pirate-turned-courtesan who has recently been purchased by her own hot domme noble lady and how she navigates the complexities of that situation. focusing on themes of agency/control and how that impacts our identities and relationship to our body, and of course, because it's me, exploring how kink can help us navigate that.
the blackwood company are a mercenary band in the same universe who have a close relationship with the proprietor of the house of orchids and three of them are in a cute lil mmf polycule. they accept a contract to escort twin noble brats across the empire and along the way Shenanigans Ensue, as they are wont to do. another dual POV between kier, the f part of the mercenary polycule, whomst is an immortal queer warrior woman with a cnc kink, and elyssandra, the lady noble being escorted with a mysterious chronic illness, who feels Feelings about kier and doesn't know what to do with them. continuing themes of agency/bodily autonomy and kink as a method of exerting that control.
Gabe and Frankie Band Edition / Avery Again Again: the two main entries in my Nebula Verse, so named for the cafe/bookstore that is kind of the central hub between the various cast of characters. gabe & frankie's story started as an AU of a different universe but quickly became The Main One (i just can't bring myself to write about highschoolers anymore lol) and i've posted snippets of it before. the idea is kind of my riff on the whole bandom genre but explicitly queer, heavily cribbed from velvet goldmine with a sprinkle of the arden st. ives series from alexis hall for good measure. another dual POV situation between gabe, the lead singer of a queer glam rock band the peaches, and matt, a barista at nebula and the guitarist they hire last minute after the relationship between gabe and his former (regrettably heterosexual) lead guitarist implodes. shenanigans, it should not surprise you to learn, ensue.
meanwhile avery is a queer nonbinary adhd disaster (ngl, shameless self insert) who is roommates with one of nebula's other baristas, anna. they've recently been cut off from their rich parents for the crime of being a queer nonbinary college dropout and are working a series of jobs to make their rent money. Contrived Circumstances lead to them needing to pretend to be engaged to earn back the good graces/monetary support of their family, and they so happen to find a willing candidate in eliot. he is a wealthy and famous gay author of mystery novels who is embroiled in his own scandal after his ex-fiancé garret publishes a shocking tell-all memoir about what a prima donna jerk he supposedly is at the same time he gets into a very public, very embarrassing accident with some rando riding a vespa. eliot needs better publicity stat and a date to some industry event, and is willing to pay someone to pretend to be his arm candy. the two come to a mutually beneficial financial arrangement. and good thing avery can't stand him, so there's Absolutely No Chance of real, complicated emotional feelings to make things messy between the two of them. of course.
this is a shameless pretty woman riff, with lots of kink sprinkled in for good measure.
Cat V3 / Brian V3: the two main entries in my other series based around a cafe/central hub of artsy weirdos, this one called Haven. cat is an adhd disaster (are you sensing a pattern) who works at a board game store in a charming little shopping district of the college town of greendale, a which the locals fondly refer to as Hipster Alley. her two best friends and roommates ginger & greg work at Haven. cat accidentally runs into a intimidatingly hot punk woman outside Haven when she's running late for work, and it turns out this woman's name is quinn, and she works at a nearby bakery. cat attempts an ill-advised friendship with quinn while she pretends she's not hardcore crushing on her, which eventually turns into a friends-with-benefits kink-based situationship, and then they finally get over themselves and admit they're in wuv. lots of lowkey, charming vignettes of cat's friend group/found family of nosy queers (and a couple Token Heterosexuals in ginger and nathan) trying to help cat woo quinn. the epitome of cozy low-stakes coffeeshop fluff.
brian's story is another mmf polycule situation, takes place chronologically before cat's, with a shared cast of characters. brian shows up on the doorstep of what he thinks is his childhood best friend's apartment after a gaybashing leads him to fleeing his shitty small town, only to find that said childhood best friend, nathan, moved out. yesterday. nathan's former roommates, violet and anthony, let brian crash there while he sorts his life out a bit. violet engages in her own devious machinations to get anthony and brian to admit their obvious attraction for one another, and her plan to be the filling in their no-homo sandwich backfires spectacularly when she develops feelings for the dude too. whoopsie.
as far as tagging goes i'll tag @musicismymoirail because i know we've talked about some of my ocs before, otherwise anyone else who wants to do this please do!! and tag me cuz i'm nosy!!!
#shut up chocolate#my stuff#in case it isnt obvious i have some Themes i like to return to in my work lol#im such a sucker for a found family of queer misfits what can i say#oc talk
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what are the parents occupations?
Iris - Freelance gory comic book artist by day, Sniper/ Assassin by Night.
Claire - Mechanic/ Engineer, Fixes Vespas and Motorcycles. She even builds some of them by scratch.
Samantha - Scientist at [REDACTED]
Side note These are my hc
Edd - Also a Freelance artist, takes commissions.
Tom - Tech Support lol (probably would have a bartender TBH)
Matt - Either a waiter or a cook at a restaurant
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After all that, the safe at Mar-a-Lago was empty. It was pried open by FBI agents who swarmed the premises under the pretense that they were looking for documents marked for preservation by the National Archives. Does anyone believe that?
The FBI's raid on the former president's home was not over boxes of documents. If you think that, please, get some crack cocaine, White Claws, and wallow in total ignorance in an observation tank while high as a kite. This line about the documents is politburo stuff, except we're not the Soviet Union. The FBI was there to find Russian collusion material they know doesn't exist.
Top officials at the J. Edgar Hoover Building have known since day one that the Steele dossier, the catalyst for this myth, was a Democrat-funded opposition research project. It might as well have come in a file that read, "Hillary Clinton paid for this." Now, the FBI's credibility, the last sliver of it, has been incinerated with this raid that juiced MAGA nation like no other.
What happened last night was a social media meme come to life. President Trump's image is accompanied by the text, "In reality; they're not after me. They're after you. I'm just in the way."
…
Remember 1998's "Enemy of the State" with Will Smith. In 2022, it's not just the NSA but also the DOJ, FBI, and now IRS coming after us. The only person who can stop that is Donald Trump, who made his plans for a massive government worker purge known in a lengthy piece in Axios. I don't think this was the basis for the raid; it's the Democrats feeling uneasy that they haven't been able to pin any felonious material on the former president. Still, if Trump runs and wins again, he will lead a government purge like no other as he reclassifies whole sections of employees that could be marked for termination.
The FBI's latest stunt only reinforced what half the nation thinks about them already. It also increased skepticism and hatred of these institutions, whose actions have made millions wary. Suppose they could do this to a former president for the crime of merely running and beating Hillary Clinton; who knows what they could do to those of us who don't have Donald Trump's financial assets?
The message is clear. The government under Democrats hates us, and they will sic federal agencies on Americans who dare to defy the parameters and agenda set by the political class. If half the nation doesn't feel that justice is blind, that federal law enforcement agencies are professional and impartial, and that law and order is now dependent on party affiliation, then the stability of our system could be placed in doubt. Democrats have set us on a path toward civil war if they continue with this campaign of overreach under Biden.
The actions of the FBI and DOJ were ones to strike fear into the hearts of Americans. It has done the opposite. These government officials should know our history. We're a nation of rebels who don't take kindly to these acts akin to an absolute monarchy. If Trump was ever on the edge of not running, and I don't think he ever was, then this act sure as hell is going to make him run again in 2024. I'm all-in on this now. Every patriot should be, and I don't think I'll be alone.
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The Morning Briefing: Even Now, Democrats Are Having a Hard Time Breaking Up With Their Terrorist Pals
Yesterday, we focused on just a couple of Democrat ne’er-do-wells who have a deep and abiding affection for terrorists like the Hamas cowards who attacked Israel last weekend. More than enough time has passed for all of the other Democrats in the country to separate themselves from and disavow the likes of the execrable Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, the two most prominent terrorist appeasers in Congress.
There has been some of that here and there, but not enough to convey a sincere break from the evildoers of the world. As we’ve discussed a couple of times this week, the Democrats have been in denial about Islamic terrorists almost since the dust from the fallen twin towers settled after 9/11. They’re obviously having a difficult time reorienting themselves.
As Matt reported yesterday, Team Joe Biden’s Brain is still refusing to find anything wrong with giving Iran $6 billion and hasn’t announced any plans to refreeze assets. Even the most casual observer of current affairs knows that Iran has been the Middle East terrorists’ ATM for a very long time. What could possibly go wrong if they suddenly received a windfall?
Kevin has a story about a Colorado politician named Tim Hernandez who smugly refused to condemn a rally supporting the Hamas savagery:
The man shooting the video confronts Hernandez about “the fact that you can’t condemn women and children being murdered in the streets.”
“What about it?” Hernandez asks with a grin one would associate with eating human waste.
When pressed about whether he condemns the slaughter, Hernandez smiles, shakes his head, and says, “I already said..”
“Why can’t you say yes?” the reporter asks.
“I already gave you my answer,” Hernandez shoots back.
“You didn’t give an answer, and I think anyone who watches would understand,” the reporter continues.
“All three people who are gonna watch your b*llsh*t video,” Hernandez quips.
There isn’t any ambiguity in what’s going on in Israel. It shouldn’t be difficult to come up with a variety of ways to disparage and condemn Hamas and anyone who supports them. Unless, of course, you too support evil, which Hernandez apparently does.
Thanks to Kevin and others, a lot more than three people have seen this video now.
Let us now turn our thoughts to the 2020 George Floyd Summer of Riotous Love. The organizers and presenters of that — Black Lives Matter — are Hamas supporters, which Rebecca Downs wrote about over at Townhall:
And yet groups like Chicago’s Black Lives Matter still delight in supporting Hamas, as Katie covered on Tuesday. While the group went and deleted a particularly horrific post from their X account, they still doubled down.
The deleted post in question showed a graphic of a Hamas terrorist paragliding into a musical festival where over 260 people were killed. The stories shared from survivors have been absolutely harrowing. “I STAND WITH PALESTINE” read the graphic.
“That is all that is it!,” read the caption for the tweet.
Rebecca goes onto detail how Chicago BLM really doesn’t back away from the sentiment of the tweet, even though it was deleted. It’s important to remember that the Democrats are — to this day — BLM’s biggest cheerleaders.
Also over at Townhall, Matt Vespa has a story about idiot New York congressman Dan Goldman trying to defend Rashida Tlaib for continuing to display the Palestinian flag. Goldman’s idiotic interference for Tlaib is essentially, “But conservatives and Nazis and stuff!”
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New Vespa Gtv, Vespa Style Has Never Been So Sporty
New digital instrumentation, full led lights, and keyless system. Powered by a 300 HPE engine with more than 23 HP, the most powerful ever mounted on a VESPA
From its début in 2006, Vespa Gtv has been the ambassador of the purest classicism in the Vespa family thanks to the use of the “faro basso” (low headlight), positioned on the front mudguard, and the exposed metallic tube handlebar, both reminiscent of the style of the most iconic models.
In 2023, Vespa Gtv comes out in an entirely revolutionised version, maintaining the must-have similarities to the origins of the legend, but combining them with an ultra-modern technological equipment package and unprecedented sporty finishes. The result is an extraordinary combination of tradition and modernity, classicism and audacity, which come together in the most authentically sporty Vespa ever.
The new Vespa Gtv is powered by the gritty 300 hpe (High Performance Engine) single-cylinder, with 4-valve timing, liquid cooling, and electronic injection. Accredited with power of 17.5 kW (23.8 HP), it is the highest performance engine every mounted on a Vespa.
An authentic style, even sportier
The new Vespa Gtv evolves under the sign of sportiness and includes the significant stylistic improvements introduced on the new Gts range, with even more painstakingly crafted finishes and a construction quality that rises to never before reached levels.
The light clusters are now full LED, including the characteristic low headlight, whereas the new instrumentation maintains the elegant circular shape, but it is now entirely digital, a solutions that lets you take advantage of the features provided by the Vespa MIA connectivity system, available as an accessory.
The instrumentation is connected to the handlebar using an original offset bracket and it is surrounded by an aggressive looking top fairing with reduced dimensions and a clear racing inspiration. handled by three horizontal slots, it is painted to match the body. The orange coloured top fairing, available as a separate accessory, gives Vespa Gtv an even bolder look.
At the centre of the leg shield, the unmistakable “necktie” has sporty lateral slots and is enhanced by orange-edged decorations. The five-spoke wheel rim design is also new, painted matt black with orange graphics on the channel.
Another distinctive element of the Vespa Gtv is the two-tone single-seater saddle with a racing look and the rear part that is installation ready for a rigid cover colour coded to match the body reminiscent of the typical fairings on competition Vespas. The cover is available as a separate accessory and is removable. In any case, seating is approved for two and it has plenty of comfortable seating room, characterised by a particular technical pattern and horizontal thermobonding, framed by contrasting orange stitching.
The general look of the Vespa Gtv stands out for the matt black trim that characterises the low headlight and rear taillight assembly, the profile along the perimeter of the body, the passenger grab handle and footrests, the silencer cover, the rear view mirrors, the support, and the instrumentation frame.
The new Vespa Gtv is available in the two colour schemes, Beige Avvolgente Opaco and Nero Convinto, with contrasting orange graphics on the front fairing and on the sides.
Hi-tech equipment
Vespa Gtv embraces technology and the vocation to travelling typical of the extremely recent evolution of the Vespa Gts family - the famous “Vespone”. Therefore, the ergonomics are perfect Vespa ergonomics, enhanced by its comfort and large body. The seating is natural and allows for total control of the vehicle and absolute comfort even over long distances.
Convenience and practicality are highlighted by the introduction of the keyless system, which allows the ignition to be switched on without the need for a traditional key. On the back leg shield, the classic ignition key switch is replaced by a practical knob. To start the vehicle, simple press it and turn it to the ON position. The engine starts in the usual way, using the button located on the right hand controls block.
The adoption of a new LCD instrumentation allows a thorough range of trip information to be displayed (maximum speed, average speed, current consumption, average consumption, range, and battery charge state), as well as all the notification relative to calls, messages and music, if the vehicle is connected to the smartphone using the VESPA MIA (available as a separate accessory).
It comes standard with a USB port, located in the storage compartment in the leg back shield, whereas the spacious under-seat compartment has a mat.
On the safety front, it comes standard with ASR electronic traction control and an ABS anti-lock braking system.
For more Vespa News check out our dedicated page Vespa News
or head to the official Vespa website vespa.com/en_EN/
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