#internet providers gone wild

[cleolinda]

Friends, we have more neighborhood weirdness, and it doesn't even involve wet chaos or the Unnamed Internet Provider.

So I'm at home with my dog, minding my own business, and there's a loud knock at the front door. The first thing you need to know is, it's 2023 and I don't open doors. Since the advent of texting, there is zero need to open a door without advance notice of a visitation, and I stand by this. At most, someone might be unheralded, but it's a delivery I was at least expecting. Don't Open Doors 2k23.

So I wait a few minutes, and then I go to the slatted door that opens from the den out into a little front hall, so I can kind of look through a window by the front door without being seen. There is no one on our doorstep, and there is no one parked out front on the street. Sure, I gave them time to leave. Not weird.

However, as you know, an Internet Provider flooded my basement with sewage, and we have had vans and trucks for repairs at our house for a month now. I go check kitchen window over the driveway to see if there’s anyone parked there.

There is.

I did take a picture of it, but I'm not sure if I should post it. I don't know shit about cars, so I can only describe this gleaming black vehicle as CIA surplus, or maybe sport utility hearse. The windows are tinted so dark that I can't even see who's in the front seat--there's got to be someone, because I went to other windows around the house and couldn't see anyone walking around, either. Short version, it looks like an expensive car that takes you to Bad Places.

I call my mom and ask if she was expecting anyone to stop by. Delivery, home damage repair, driveway digging chaos, anything. No, no one.

I sit very quietly in the den with my dog.

A while later, I check the kitchen window again. Ten minutes, and they're still parked there. Half an hour, they're still parked there. My mom calls an hour into this, and I check again, and they're not there. So this car stayed parked in my driveway, no one knocking again or ringing the doorbell, anywhere from 30-60 minutes. When I peer out at the front door, there's a printed note stuck on the window. It reads thusly:

DELIVERY NOTICE!

Important Time Sensitive Material

Name: Mr. and Mrs. [Parents' correct surname]

Date: [Accurate date]

Time: [Not accurate time, nearly an hour early]

Please call within 24 hours to reschedule your delivery

Contact Person: [A slightly different version of a common first name, a common surname]

Phone: [A number my mom later tried to google but reverse lookup wanted money]

There is no logo or company name on the note. It looks extremely generic and "hello fellow kids, I do a business." Between this and the corporate kidnap vehicle, I am creeped the fuck out, and extremely grateful that I have the Gift of Fear™ and do not fucking open doors.

Here's the thing, though. In writing this up just now, I decided to do some due diligence for y'all and google the contact's name. The first name is just unusual enough that it pulls someone relevant up immediately, first result:

A local account executive for a rival internet provider

what the fuck, y'all

Like, I'm not saying an internet executive sat in my driveway for the better part of an hour (to deliver WHAT??), but given our travails with A DIFFERENT internet provider, does this not seem significant? MAN WE JUST USE AT&T, LEAVE US THE FUCK ALONE

[wcamino-confessions]

K, heres Lemons doc, none of these are new screenshots btw, this is a copy of it. Lemon first lies about the designs, there are proven examples in the original doc of non dbw characters that were simply just color shifts of others which doesn't exactly fit her beginner designer narrative. The last trace she did was not close to 3 years ago, it was a year and 8 months ago and she took a free to use base off the internet, traced its lineart, removed its signature and added her own /all of this also shown on the original doc/ Lemon makes several claims in this doc in her defense that she provides literally no screenshots or solid proof for either. Lemon did not delete the safe space channel, she deleted a channel called "temp channel" (also visible in an SS on the OG doc) and it would be days before the official safe space channel was even made.

She hates her age being used against her but then tries to use it against Jinx that Jinx is in their late 20s, again every single piece of their conversation was added to the OG doc uncropped so I'm not sure what she thought she could say about Jinx here either when you can read that convo for yourself and see how wild lemons description of it is. Again no screenshots about Montwo, just a personal account from an unreliable narrator. She refuses to address the homophobia in any meaningful way of course, Lemon continues the "if you arent running the complain you cant criticize it" BS. Btw, there is no privacy agreement, that was never said, and again your bad behavior isn't going to be hidden by a vent channel that you decided to be an ass in. Whole section on Malice is funny, I can find so many instances of other people joking about traumatic character deaths while they're happening by scrolling through chat logs, unserious behavior. Theres not an ounce of solid proof in here and if you genuinely believed lemon based on this "proof"..., Good riddance Lemon, also not sure what the "meant no harm" sections are about either since meaning no harm was never said by anyone. The OG doc was started before lemon "left and deleted discord" so it wasn't made after she was already gone as she'd like to claim (seeing as she was instantly back on it when the doc dropped in dbw I'm going to assume that's a lie).

heres the copy i made of it: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aHhAUOHlELyk7cnHfsHaMNFWwj2xU1aUoawanxYIaMs/edit?usp=sharing

(no request to access you can just view it normally)

Anyways, if you want a private link to stay private don't be sending it around at all, it is not that hard to get around a request to access.

.

[mdhwrites]

Sorry If we keep bringing this up agan and again but: I was going through the TV tropes page of The Owl House, and I found this listed as an example of the "Common Knowledge" trope on the YMMV page: "Luz is often stated to have let loose poisonous snakes and set off fireworks in the middle of her class during the first episode. However, her book report seems to have gone well, the issue being that her backup snakes escaped when she wasn't watching. As for the fireworks, Luz is shown to have not set them off, implying she decided not to."

Any thoughts?

Okay so we all know what bad faith criticism is, right? It's where you take the worst possible reading of something because you have an inherent bias. This is the opposite.

Her response to the question "What about these (the fireworks)?" is "Those were for the act three closer." This implies that she did not get to the act three closer. So that part is already wrong but it's better to say she chose not to. It paints her in a better light. She is, factually, stated by the principal, in the office because of how her book report went which means it went bad enough to land her in the principal's office which means that part is also inaccurate. He LITERALLY says "Your book report is why you're in here."

The only part of this analysis that is accurate is that no, she did not mean to release the snakes... Kind of. The principal gestures outside, she looks, she looks back with a cute, quirky smile and says, "Oh, that's where the backup snakes were." So she already knew the backup snakes were missing but she didn't bother telling anyone wild snakes had gotten loose in the school. Which is actually just in character for her. Remember, one of the last three times she's been in the principal's office is for releasing a swarm of spiders as part of her project.

This is not hard to check. It is literally less than thirty seconds of dialogue. It all happens within the first MINUTE of the show. But... This person doesn't care about correcting to what actually happened. The goal is to say critics like me are simply stating the facts in bad faith because the facts themselves are bad for the show and for Luz. I mean, she sees someone being attacked by a snake and smiles. That is... Not a great starting point for someone who will not grow throughout the runtime of the show and be told this was an entirely okay thing to do eventually.

But I also want to point out that you are asking me for my thoughts on a fan page of a kind of wikipedia that takes less than thirty seconds to fact check. If I could not talk about how you can absolutely show something too much good faith, I would have zero reason to discuss this because... Check for yourself. Use your own critical thinking skills. Don't just believe what you see on the internet because that's not useful for everyone. Even now, I provided quotes but you can, and even probably ought to, double check that I got them right because that's how this goes. If you question something, check it.

Using something like this as a reason to beat the same dead horse for the half a dozenth time though? Don't we have something better we can all do with our lives? The show is flawed, incredibly so, and at this point it's probably just best to move on if this is where we're having to go for more talking points. See you next tale.

======+++++======

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

[ninjapaste]

dude your art is so GOOD!!! Do you take any classes or have any tips to share? that resource post you reblogged the other day was helpful but i've felt so stuck in my art. I don't know if you have anything u learned that just made something click for u or anything like that?

Tysm anon!!!👍

In terms of your questions, I apologise i advance for the long answer im about to give and possibly things you already know haha:

I guess in terms of what classes i take, Ive gone from GCSE to A level Art and design (Fine art), and both courses have helped me to learn the importance of observation studies.

However, its moreso all the art i practice in my own time that has played the biggest part in my art improvement journey. I adopted art as a big hobby around 2018, and really ever since then I tend to draw/create for myself every day, however big or small it may be.

I guess my first tip would be to indulge in a 'sketchbook' or space to work in freely, it could be any form but the importance is that its personal and can be picked up whenever. I find that having a sketchbook to draw in has really helped with productivity and creating new ideas. I think you can go into a sketchbook space with any mindset and it can work wonders, like for example if you wanted to focus purely on challenging yourself, you can do that! If you just, want to doodle without thinking, go ahead! After all, its a sketchbook for you and nobody else, so go wild!

My next tip would definitely be, when you are feeling stuck in art, to take inspiration from a wide range of different things be it in real life or on the internet, a building or a really cool tree, since I find it defintiely fuels the creation of new ideas/concepts that can provide a path out of that creative rut. I guess to an extent there may always be periods where you have that 'I have no idea what to draw!' Feeling, and thats okay! Sometimes its refreshing that helps the most. But I often see that the solution to being in a rut is usually REFERENCING, wether it be trying to accurately draw the anatomy of an arm or if I just saw a cool design/pose/style on Pinterest and i drew a bunch of wacky characters from it. In fact, I find that places like Pinterest or Resplash are such good resources to hone imagination and generally most art skills by looking at and drawinf from all the cool images (and get some of that inspo!). And if im not using Pinterest, im usually using an art book as reference! (The itsv and splatoon art book helped me so so much lol)

On the topic of REFERENCING, its mega important! Depending on imagination/memory feels pretty good at times but its always beneficial to have image references in your process when you find its good to have them. I woudl always recommend having a reference when drawing poses/expressions/anatomy because the more you use them, the more you learn about how an object like a face muscle, a torso or even light behaves and looks and the easier it is to draw/depict them.

The next tip is uh YOUTUBE, or any account/person who's art inspires you in particular. I found that certain channels like Ethan Becker, Marc Brunet, Marco Bucci and more have helped me the most to gain confidence in drawing and learning how to practice it better. Of course, theres a lot to learn from a plethora of other channels too, even ones that dont specifically promote themselves as teachers! Also, if theres a certain style/art approach or an artist that appeals to you, study it in any way you like! Analyse an artist's work or ask/find out about their personal process (or even watch a speedpaint/art stream)! Sometimes it can be a big inspiration booster and skill boost to do just that (plus the 'artist' could be any piece of media/thing too!! Like a game or something).

Ok ok last paragraph haha, on the topic of your last question. Thinking back, its hard for me to define any specific moment or thing that gave me a 'click' moment. Its more like a process of growth that starts with learning and understanding a new thing, then familiarizing myself with using it successfully/'correctly' by studying and practicing, so that eventually its like muscle memory or easier to use in my work.

Hope this helps!!! If theres anything else you want to ask, dont be afraid to dm or send another ask!!

[hasufin]

Consigned to memory

You know, it's kind of wild what's been, and lost, online.

And yes, I know about The Internet Archive. It's a wonderful tool and I'm glad it exists. But it's not, you know, complete. It's a privately funded effort by some very dedicated people, but it's not a complete snapshot of any particular point in our cultural history.

So once in a while I think about resources I once had, or just random things I wonder about.

I recall walking by where someone had painted "Cheetah Corner" with a URL in San Francisco. It was just a webcam looking out a window on that intersection, with a big statue of a cheetah in the foreground. No idea what happened to that.

For a long time there was just this one Japanese-English translator online. It wasn't smart the way they are now, but you could put in a word and it would find you a variety of words with a little bit of context as to what each one meant, because there are no direct translations.

I recall entire webcomics just gone - abandoned by their creators, unindexed and unavailable.

I remember End of Innocence and Project Rose Signet, fan works to make English-language transcriptions of the anime Shoujo Kakumei Utena.

And, hell, just try to find HamsterDamned, or even the original Hamster Dance.

Now, most of these things were running on some university's server, or just in a static IP provided to a dorm room. So I get why they're gone. But it feels like nothing really replaced them. TPTB figured out how to commercialize the web, which was the goal, you know? To get everyone to embrace the new technology. But they didn't join us, they colonized, and now there just doesn't seem to be a space for these quirky little labors of love anymore. If it can't sell banner ads, it doesn't exist.

So now I'm thinking about how I'm never going to listen to that unhinged audioplay someone made in '99 which I never got around to downloading, and it's surely on someone's computer but it's not online anymore, and all we have left are Tiktoks which end up deleted because they're interesting but never cross the line into sufficiently profitable to become a business.

[mariacallous]

The Republican online ecosystem has gone into overdrive ahead of the first US presidential debate. Lawmakers and influencers are pushing wild conspiracy theories about President Joe Biden, and instead of coming up with anything new, they are recycling tired old allegations that have already been debunked—including claims that Biden will be “jacked up” on performance-enhancing drugs.

“He’s sleeping now, because they want to get him good and strong,” former president Donald Trump said of Biden at a campaign rally over the weekend, without providing any evidence. “So a little before debate time, he gets a shot in the ass. They want to strengthen him up. I’d say he’ll come out all jacked up.”

This is an almost exact repeat of a claim Trump made at a rally in 2020, when he claimed Biden would get “a big fat shot in the ass” in order to debate “better than ever before.” Trump also made a similar claim against Hillary Clinton in 2016. Trump has also called for Biden to take a drug test before the event, which he also did in 2020.

Trump’s comments appear to be part of a wider push by the Trump campaign to control the online narrative around the debate.

Trump’s former White House physician, Ronny Jackson, posted on X: “DRUG TEST BIDEN BEFORE THE DEBATE! Will we see Sleepy Joe, who lives in the White House Basement, or will we see Jacked-Up Joe who made an appearance at the State Of The Union???”

Jackson also spoke to Fox Business’ Maria Bartiromo, who helped boost the baseless conspiracy. During the interview, Jackson went even further, speculating on why Biden and his team were hunkered down in Camp David ahead of the debate:

“Biden will have been at Camp David for a full week before the debate, and … they’re probably experimenting with getting doses right, getting him medicine before the debate,” said Jackson, who is currently running for Congress in Texas with Trump’s endorsement.

Other politicians also weighed in.

“I think Trump’s team should not underestimate Joe Biden and his team’s ability to jack him up on Mountain Dew or whatever it is,” Missouri representative Eric Burlison said in an interview on Fox Business, adding: “Look, the State of the Union this year, he had a lot of energy for about an hour or an hour and a half.”

The network of pro-Trump, right-wing influencers on X and Telegram have picked up the conspiracy en masse, sharing clips of Trump’s comments and the interviews with Jackson and Burlison.

In conspiracy channels on Telegram, influential figures are boosting even wilder allegations about the debate, including multiple different claims that Biden is about to pull out of the debate for medical reasons, and that either a new Democratic nominee will be picked or the 25th Amendment will be invoked and Vice President Kamala Harris will become president. There is no evidence to back up any of these claims.

Brenden Dilley, organizer of the Dilley Meme Team, outlined this week how his group would “hijack hashtags … and push pro-Trump content” during the debate. Dilley, who describes himself as a life coach, was recently criticized for producing a video that called for the creation of a “unified Reich.” The video was posted on Trump’s Truth Social account.

Right-wing media figures and Trump supporters are also spreading conspiracies about CNN and its alleged pro-Biden bias.

Many conspiracists on X are dredging up a conspiracy from 2020, when they claimed Biden had been given the debate questions ahead of time by CNN. The claim was repeated on Tuesday by Fox News host Jesse Watters, referring to an article written by Hillary Clinton about the debate. “Hillary is giving Biden the answers and CNN is probably giving Biden the questions.”

This particular conspiracy is inspired by a nugget of truth: In 2016, former CNN commentator Donna Brazile tipped off the Clinton campaign to an upcoming question in a primary debate. There is no evidence, however, that CNN has leaked questions to Biden’s campaign in 2020 or ahead of Thursday’s debate.

Meanwhile, perennial troll and former Trump adviser Roger Stone dredged up yet another old debate conspiracy, this time around the wearing of an earpiece. Back in 2020, Trump supporters and the Trump campaign pushed the lie that Biden had worn an earpiece and a wire during a debate, providing no evidence beyond blurry screenshots of a crease on the president’s shirt.

“No ear pieces!” Stone posted on X on Wednesday. “Trump should demand that Biden be carefully inspected to ensure that he is not wearing some deeply embedded high-tech earpiece before the beginning of the CNN debate.”

QAnon channels shared even more extreme conspiracies that, once again, are recycled.

In one channel run by a member of the JFK–QAnon offshoot—which believes Biden has been arrested and is being played by an actor—a member claims that “Biden should not only take a Drug test … he should take a DNA Test before the debate with Trump … Because in all likelihood, it may not be Joe Biden.”

[harapeveco]

i honestly cant see any benefit on pirating music and im not trying to be rude or anything i genuinely dont see any benefit from it

Benefits of pirating music:

This very archaic but still cool concept called “listening to music without the need of wifi” that used to be for free

Also I live in a country where there’s only one internet provider that is shit and still works on 3G which I imagine is the case for many other countries so ig if I want to go to a place that has shit signal I’ll go fuck myself and not listen to music? Yeh not happening

There aren’t any ads interrupting my vibes every three songs I can listen to my music with no interruptions (wild concept I know)

Monthly subscription? Anual plan? Family plan? Idk any of those concepts besties

Literally got my Spotify account hacked and whoever hacked it deleted my playlists with 200+ songs which is something that doesn’t happen when you download your music

“But you can download music from Spotify” yes if you pay for it 🙄

Like I know supporting musicians is important and that Spotify does pay them the very generous amount of 0.003 dollars per stream and takes 30% of their earning but like relying on streaming is not the best. You see what’s happening with Bouken Roku no one outside japan can listen to it and not to mention all the utaite albums that are region locked, not to mention that if one day Spotify decided to implode all that music you have? Boom gone adios you won’t see it again bc guess what? You don’t own that music so if the artist leaves Spotify and they delete all of their music? Guess you won’t listen to it on the go anymore! Bc it’s not only Spotify it’s the same with YouTube you have to pay for that music too if you wanna listen to it on your phone with the screen locked

Before anyone comes saying “you say you support Eve but you are stealing from him!” Not true actually bc my contribution may not be me streaming his music but I actually buy his CDs so ig when we live in the probable future where streaming is either dead or just unaffordable I can still listen to him. Call me a boomer or whatever but in the long run CDs are far better than streaming

“But CDs are obsolete! Computers can’t run them anymore!” For what I think it’s the fair price of 30 dollars you can buy this square thing that you unplug into your computer and it can run CDs just fine

Anyway these are my 2 cents you can agree with them or not but like my point is that relying so much in streaming is not good and pirating is not as bad as everyone thinks. If you still want to support your artist fall in the capitalist pit and buy their merch and CDs

[rosesradio]

status:

there’s been issues with my wifi at home—something with the dns, which wasn’t giving me issues because i was using nord’s dns. my dad has had to restart/rebuild some things for the wifi, and the process has had me extremely anxious and paranoid about my blog being found out. i use nordvpn, though through the intense amount of research i’ve done, i found that nord only encrypts my traffic from my internet service provider, not the home router (the thing i was originally trying to hide from :/) unless i connect the vpn through the router, like as an admin. due to my (feigned, related to my major) interest, my dad has allowed me to have access once the wifi comes back on in a day or two. i can’t see the insights into my device, though i am worried that once it does come back online, my parents will be able to see my online history.

to combat this for the time being, i made a burner account. i blocked the account on this blog, much like i did with my wattpad burner & account. i don’t imagine the insights will show exactly what blog I’m logged in on or what exact things i search, it’ll just say i spend a lot of time on tumblr. if asked, i’ll just say that i have a lurker account i use because the posts are funny & i didn’t say anything because i was embarrassed by the fandom stuff (I’m not, but i can lie). I can show them the most standard hp or percabeth stuff, nothing wild. it’ll look suspicious that i have nothing liked or reblogged, though I’ll just say that there’s a lot of discourse and don’t want to interact for fear of being “targeted” for being “problematic” (my conservative dad will love that). my sister (a few years older than me) has a Reddit account, and interacts with people on there, so it shouldn’t be too crazy for me to have a lurker tumblr. this solution doesn’t fix everything, i worry about potential cracks, though it’s the best thing i have for now—I’ll have to see what happens after the wifi comes back up.

as for why i’m so paranoid—it’s two fold. one, my mental health has been deteriorating severely this winter. my depression has turned to numbness and my anxiety to a crippling and nauseating paranoia. also, my parents have given me reason to be anxious about my online history. they were helicopter parents. at one point when i was like 14, they went through my phone and found (low quality lol, sfw) gay fanart from an instagram of mine. i was grounded for three months (they didn’t explicitly say that was the reason, they said it was because of excess screen time which is somewhat valid, though i could tell what the real reason was). nowadays, they’ve loosened the reigns a bit—they haven’t gone through my phone in years—i am 21 after all. but I also still live in their house and use their wifi, so anything is possible. i think it’ll turn out okay in the end, though it’s been making me anxious all the while.

[normal-with-adhd-is-a-joke]

I know we meme on the internet that cats are assholes but as I recently saw someone using that meme-gone-wild to defend a person surrendering an aggressive cat to a shelter without the owner's permission, I feel a clarification needs to be made.

True "meanness", aggressive behavior with no identifiable source, is rare in cats.

This type of behavior, called idiopathic aggression, is often extreme and may result in euthanasia. The "meanness" we see in most cats is not idiopathic and is the result of some kind of stressor or stimulation in the environment. All of these types of aggression are listed in detail on the ASPCA's website but I wanted to cover them briefly here.

Fearful aggression is the most obvious. If you corner a cat, hold them while a loud noise is happening, etc you're going to get scratched. Back off and let the cat hide and calm down. If your cat is totally freaked out by something necessary like vet visits a lot of vets will be happy to provide you with a mild sedative like gabapentin.

Territorial aggression is another obvious one. If a new cat or other pet or a new human steps on a cat's turf it can cause a spike in aggression. Stray or feral cats passing near the outside of the pet cat's home can trigger this as well.

Play aggression is one that you'll know if you're a cat owner, but might not if you've never had a cat. Cats get really excited with their toys, so if you're playing with them with your hand or foot, be prepared to get beaten up. Some cats will also pounce on moving body parts when they're in play mode.

Redirected aggression is also a less known about one. A cat who's tracking a prey item or potential threat outside the home via a window, or playing with a toy inside the home, might instinctively react aggressively to movement or touch because they're in an excited state. If a cat is tense and focused, it's best to not disturb them.

Petting-induced aggression is a big one that people cite as a reason cats are assholes. In reality, the cat is frustrated by the repeated movement, it's even hypothesized to become painful over time. Try varying your petting motions and spots, and maybe mix in some scratches.

Pain-induced aggression is sadly common and often overlooked as normal cat behavior. If a cat always reacts badly when a certain spot is touched, that's a reason for a vet visit. There are plenty of pain management option available to keep cats with chronic pain happy, healthy, and not biting their owners.

Cats are sensitive animals. They're predators, but also prey, which makes them both powerful and anxious. Getting told "you're annoying me, fuck off!" is a normal part of cat ownership and the best way to avoid injury is to learn to read scared and aggressive cat body language. Cats aren't rude, you just don't speak their language so you don't understand when they clearly state their boundaries.

[atmosphericradar]

Found another odd tag — keyed off the word "hiding" — and this time it's a long one!

So, the full tag is:

#blac chyna is hiding true feelings about her ‘rebirth’ makeover – her ‘lip clamps & droops’ are the proof

This sounds like a celebrity gossip headline! And sure enough, this tag is full-to-bursting with this article exclusively.

I got this from the desktop site, because it's wild to see. It's just a wall of the same article, all the way down, for multiple pages.

They're all from early November 2023, and all from blogs with names that end in *-polycom, *-mag, or *news. It seems fairly self-evident that this is the work of some kind of tabloid, but I'm a curious cat. I want to dig deeper.

Digging Deeper

Most of these posts tell you (they don't provide links!) to go read the full article on POLYCOM. Ok, what is a POLYCOM? I don't think it's Poly Inc., maker of video- and teleconferencing appliances, but a few cursory Google and DuckDuckGo searches yield no evidence of anything else.

The most recent post tells us to go track down the article ourselves on "IN TREND", but provides no URL or link. Searching around for "IN TREND" on the web is fairly difficult, returning results for well-known fashion publications, trend analytics, and a brand of clothing called "Intrend". Searching for "In Trend Today" returned more interesting results, including an InTrendToday YouTube Channel and Facebook page. The Facebook page seems to have stopped posting in late 2018, but the YouTube Channel last posted a video on Dec 18, 2023. I'll talk more about the YouTube Channel under the cut at the end of this post.

Some of these posts do have "read more" links pointing to posts on Wordpress, all of which claim to be "on MAG NEWS". Each *-mag blog links out to a separate Wordpress account which seems to be re-uploading the same story. All of these Wordpress Accounts are deleted (for violating Wordpress ToS), and all of these linked posts are gone (here are two examples):

Somehow, I doubt this is some covert arm of the Maricopa Association of Governments newsroom.

Digging down into the results on Tumblr, I found a copy of this post made by the blog vouxsportsnews. They link a Wordpress article from another dead Wordpress account:

BUT, their most recent post on their blog (a gossip article about Zendaya posted on Jan 5, 2024) does have a working Wordpress link, to vouxsportsnews.wordpress.com (clever 🙄):

This is an archetypal internet-based gossip rag. I didn't know these still existed! I guess Wordpress is hunting them down for sport?

The "Read More ..." link in the article goes to a website called top.neotrends.today, which is a sketchy link I will not be clicking on. The "full article" is apparently hosted on www.primesky.media, which I also will not be directly navigating to. I did manage to get a screenshot of the front page of primesky today (Jan 8, 2024) using a webtool:

I blurred the article shown on this page to preserve the privacy of the person it featured.

Primesky is hosted on a Cloudflare virtual private server, and no public info is available on who owns the primesky URL. A search for "redroads amag" on DuckDuckGo leads back to primesky. A search of the same on Google leads to a website at www.clickhere.world, which is immensely sketchy and looks identical to primesky. At this point, I'm going to end my search for a culprit.

Conclusion

I thought I could find the tabloid hydra's body, but I just found more heads. I'm not surprised the operators of a gossip rag bot network on Tumblr are also playing dirty on Wordpress, and covering their digital tracks well. Sometimes it's best to just report spam and go on with your day.

It should go without saying, but DO NOT NAVIGATE to these websites! At worst, they will give you every virus. At best, they will mine crypto in the background of your browser (and rot your brain).

The YouTube Channel Digression

The YouTube channel intrendtoday was created on Oct 4, 2017, and it has more than 53,000 subscribers as of my posting this post (Jan 8, 2024). However, the earliest video on the channel was posted on Nov 7, 2023. That is suspiciously close to when all of these Blac Chyna spam articles went up.

Given that the videos posted get less than 50 views on average, I think the grossly-out-of-proportion subscriber count is evidence of bot subscribers. Maybe the channel re-branded and deleted a prior back-catalog? Archive.org has no snapshots of this YouTube channel, but SocialBlade claims they lost nearly 3.5 million video views in early September of 2023 (indicating they deleted a lot of videos).

SocialBlade also indexes this channel under the name "demattradinginfo", not "intrendtoday". Archive.org doesn't have records of a YouTube URL for the channel demattradinginfo, but a Google search of that name shows results for Demat Accounts, which are a type of financial account commonly used in India to hold securities and trade stocks.

It's possible that whomever is behind the gossip news spam is also in control of this YouTube channel. I wouldn't be surprised, given how frequently people offering financial advice on social media are either scammers or spammers (and sometimes both!). However, I have no proof that the people behind this YouTube channel are the same people behind this social media gossip spamming.

[whoiwanttoday]

Hey guys, here is some Pigeon Foo, who a little birdy has told me wants to go see Dragula. That little birdy is Pigeon Foo on her instagram and by tells me I mean posted it publicly and I read it but the beauty of the internet is we can all delude yourself into really dangerous ways of thinking about everything being about us. It's good in situations like this because you get to feel special that someone is giving you information but overall it's pretty bad because you will start to take everything as a personal slight. Inflation has gone up just to fuck me, the team I wanted to win lost just to hurt me, and so on. Anyway, my point is that Pigeon Foo told everyone but mostly me that she wants to go see Dragula and I greatly encourage this behavior cause the Boulet Brothers fucking rule. I am not a drag show person, in the sense that I don't really go to them or watch any drag stuff, though also in the sense that I do not participate in drag shows either, I am barely glamorous enough to have an anonymous blog on the internet, I would never cut it at a drag show. Anyway, it is not for me but I am aware of them and they are charming and awesome and have great taste in horror movies and really have enjoyed when they show up on things and I am very well aware that Dragula is a big deal. It was across the street from my house a few months ago acutely and boy, things sounded wild in the line to the theater. People were psyched. Anyway, Pigeon Foo wants to go and I think she should so I am here to endorse that. Now, I know some of you are saying, "Look, I am just here to look at hot girls and mostly I am into boobs, stop it with all this thinky nonsense where you talk about how girls with interesting interests are interesting" and I would tell you I would never phrase it that way because you basically used a derivative of interest three times in four words and I am a much more talented wordsmith than that, it's why they let me have this blog. Also I would say that you should hold onto all of your horses because I am here to tell you besides having excellent taste, Pigeon Foo also has boobs. Two of them I know of, she'd have to clarify if she has more hidden somewhere but I am confident there are two. I know this because I have just seen a ton of pictures of her boobs. I am the only person on the internet who is both not religious and meticulously going through pictures of women only to say in announce, "Dammit, I can see a nipple". So what I am saying is she has boobs. Here is the better news, you can see pictures and videos of them if you want. You just have to buy these things from her, a service she provides as a small business owner and backbone of the American economy. What I am saying is everyone gets something out of this. She gets to see Dragula, you get to see boobs, and all of us get a robust and healthy economic system that ensures us a better future. You'd be a fool not to do this. Now, I am going to ping her here because maybe she can provide better actual details about how you go about this, the thing where you exchange money for goods and services is a pretty easy concept but sometimes the specifics are tough to track down. I do know that if you go to her twitter that she absolutely has instructions there somewhere though. So head there. Or @pigeonfoo maybe reblogs this or reply with instructions to check the notes. Or google. Guys, it's like they always said about ancient Rome, all roads lead to boobs if you try hard enough. Anyway, enjoy these pictures because if you didn't know, she isn't just someone who likes Dragula, she's someone who likes Dragula and is actually quite attractive. So enjoy. Today I want to fuck Pigeon Foo.

[snowlessknitter]

The Masked Singer: S11 E9 (Group B Finals/The Soundtrack of My Life)

I’m watching tonight’s episode on a delay, but I have taken care to avoid spoilers before watching.

As always, I post before watching any unmaskings, so don’t take my guesses as spoilers.

Beets 🍠: I’m still pretty sure this is Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken from American Idol. We see Banana Split 🍌 🍨, who were revealed to be Katharine McPhee and her husband David Foster in a previous season. Katharine is a former American Idol runner-up, and she actually met David while he was mentoring her season’s contestants for a competition round. (They did not become a couple until much later, after both of them had gone through divorces.) Both Ruben and Clay are dads, Ruben has children with his current wife and Clay had a son through IVF with David Foster’s sister both providing the egg and carrying the pregnancy. (His son’s middle name is Foster as a nod to her.) We see a clock with a thumbs up and the time seems to read between 12:40 and 12:45. We see a knight figurine. One of the Beets is teaching his son to drive, which about lines up with the age of Clay’s son (who was born around 2008, if I remember correctly, before Clay publicly came out as gay). Clay is the Beet with leaves on top, while Ruben is the Beet with no leaves on top. The performance has pyro befitting an American Idol coronation performance. 🥰 The bonus clue: They have a connection to host Nick Cannon, having a “Wild Night”. Either they appeared on Wild & Out or they might have done an interview with Nick. I’m still sticking with Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken.

Seal 🦭: A zombie poster, a schooner with a heart on the sail, has been called a “bad boy” since day one. A calendar with Friday circled. The bonus clue: He has a connection to judge Jenny McCarthy, and the record reads “House Call”. He might have appeared frequently on her talk show. I figured this was maybe Corey Feldman last time, and his rapping in this performance sounds a lot like Corey Feldman’s speaking voice. So, I’m sticking with Corey Feldman.

Gumball 🍬: My guess last week was that this is Derek Hough. Piglet and Queen of Hearts were featured in a video game he’s playing. A yellow model car marked with an X. His song is “Carry On Wayward Son”. Maybe he’s connected to Supernatural? He says he has no formal training in singing. He says he moved around a lot as a kid. The bonus clue: He has a connection to judge Ken Jeong, and says Ken was part of one of the funniest jobs Gumball has ever had. I don’t think this is Jack Black, I’d recognize his voice. I’ve seen some on the internet say this is Scott Porter, and I think of the judges’ guesses Jenny’s guess of James Marsden sounded the most plausible. So, I’ll go with either Scott Porter or James Marsden. This one has been a tricky one to figure out.

[ashcadence]

wow, everything just emotionally hit me like a truck today

i feel so alone

i've tried things like therapy to work through my issues, because i have a lot of issues, but everytime i just continually get referenced to another therapist, because previous therapist was unequipped to deal with my issues. i've had this happen so much, and gone through so many therapists at this point i'm kind of done.

i don't understand why therapists don't know how to handle me. i know my life has been absolutely wild up to this point. it feels like i've lived several lives even though i'm only in my 20's. it's extremely complicated, and messy, but isn't everybody's life messy?

i talk about things on here sometimes, but that's barely the surface. that's the stuff i'm willing to talk about. especially on the internet. because a lot of it, is really dark and would make people very uncomfortable.

sometimes it feels like too much and i'm emotionally exhausted all the time. it feels like i can't catch a fuckin' break. i can't ever work through things, because more shit just keeps getting thrown my way.

everyone always tells me that i have such a good life but they know absolutely nothing about me. sometimes i wish someone would just see through the mask. that almost everyday i'm barely holding it together. but i'm far to good of an actress to ever slip up.

i wish there was someone i could unload everything onto. someone who could provide some comfort and support. not get scared off, not tell me how to cope with everything, just tell me that everything will be okay. that i'm not alone...

[itslenagain]

[ Part 1 here / Part 2 here / Part 3 here / Part 4 here ]

PART 5

"A series of viral videos online has lead to calls for investigation into a woman claiming to be the Greek goddess Hera-"

"I was on that plane and I was afraid for my life! We all barely escaped! What if they're terrorists, or-"

"They're illegals, they don't have jobs, they don't pay taxes, they're just a couple millennial freeloaders LARPing as Gods-"

"Well I guess *Hera* is pretty in the face, but that girl needs to lose weight before I'd say she's beautiful-"

"Here to talk about Greek mythology is Giorgio A. Tsoukalos, a UFO-ologist who claims aliens on Mount Olympus-"

"We cannot allow these so-called *Greek gods* to run around and threaten the values of our Christian nation-"

"I don't know if she's really a Goddess, but damn, I'd love to worship that thick ass-"

Bev turns off the TV and throws the remote at the wall. The batteries pop out and the cover flies under the sofa. She roars in frustration, eyeing the new dent in the wall of her Manhattan penthouse. She grabs her phone and furiously dials the number. "Joanne? Go find-"

"I'm way ahead of you, Bev. They're both on their way via armored transport. I made sure they were not seen."

"Hallelujah," Bev mumbles. "Don't bring them to New York - there's a paper trail proving I'm here. Take them to Providence."

"Roger," Joanne says, and hangs up. She turns to Hera and Kimberly. "That's the code word for her safehouse in Havana. I hope you don't get seasick."

The door to Bev's penthouse busts open as battering rams pound their way through. "FBI! COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS UP!" The agent commands.

They're too late. Bev is gone, already three steps ahead.

(An hour later...)

Kimberly is anxious. The confrontation on the plane changed, well, *everything.* Suddenly, she and Hera are all over the news, the internet too, everyone with their own wild speculation or opinion on the situation. Kimberly had a normal life at some point, right? It was hard for her to even remember it at this point.

Hera is scrolling through internet feeds, laughing wildly at the whole ordeal. She turns to Kimberly. "What is a TERF?"

"An asshole who thinks you can't be a woman if you weren't born as one."

Hera cackles. "Mortals are ridiculous, aren't they?" She shows a meme to Kimberly with a painting of Hera labeled "The Original TERF," followed by a long manifesto on how as the Goddess of women, Hera would hate trans women. Kimberly winces. "They don't even understand the history they wrote of us. Uranus is the God of masculinity and he doesn't even have a penis anymore. Womanhood is not about body parts or the circumstances of birth."

Kimberly smiles. "Maybe the world needs you right now. Maybe, somehow, this is all happening at the right time."

Joanne looks back. "You aren't posting anything, right?! Is your location off?" She snatches the phone out of Hera's hand. She looks at it for a moment, then returns it to Hera. "Where did you get this?"

"I swirled my hands around and there was a lot of chanting and glitter and then magically I had a cellphone." Hera's deadpan expression sends Kimberly into a laughing fit. "I went to a store and bought it. But then I found someone who could help make it 100% untraceable to keep Zeus from using it to find me."

"Who's the someone?" Joanne asks.

Hera winks. "I can't show you my *whole* hand."

(The next day...)

Kimberly stretches and gets out of bed. Hera is seated in an armchair in the corner, cigarette in one hand, a massive book under the other. She glances up and smiles. "Good morning, my love."

Kimberly crosses the room and kisses her, slow and soft. "What are you reading?"

"Bev says I need to study. She's looking for a way to establish some sort of US citizenship for me. She's chain-smoking on the deck."

Kimberly steps out onto the deck. Bev looks frazzled. Kimberly has never seen her like this. Cigarette butts are scattered around the deck, a discarded pack lying on the ground. Bev looks up and stiffens. "Sorry," she mumbles, trying to pull her frizzy hair back from her face. "How're you holding up?"

"...I'm not really sure how to answer that," Kimberly replies with a chuckle. "I never imagined my first love would be a Goddess-turned-international-fugitive with a crazy husband."

Bev studies her carefully. "You've never been in love before?"

"Nahhh. I never felt like I needed it. I was always kind of a loner. There were girls here and there, but I never felt a meaningful connection, you know?" Bev offers Kimberly a cigarette, which she declines, instead reaching for an unopened can of beer on the table. "Hera just... I don't know. She upended everything I thought I knew about myself. I was never anxious before. Now I worry about her, about Zeus, the world, about not being good enough or strong enough, everything... and she has this way of just looking at me and suddenly the anxiety is melting and I can't even imagine why I was worried in the first place. And part of me feels stupid for ever thinking I could just exist without knowing what this felt like."

Bev laughs. "You've got it bad, huh?" Her eyes flash with pain. "I... I am envious." She lights another cigarette, quickly thumbing away a tear forming in the corner of her eye.

"...I noticed you've got pictures of yourself with someone in all your offices." Kimberly says. "...do you need to talk about it?"

Bev runs a hand through her hair. "I don't know. I've gotten so good at *not* talking about it that I don't even know where I'd start. Not sure if I even want to."

Kimberly offers her an understanding expression. "It's okay if you don't want to or aren't ready or whatever. But, I'm here if you need to." Bev smiles.

Joanne sighs from behind the window, where she's been listening to the whole conversation. Should she have asked, all those years ago?

(Later that day...)

The group is seated around a round table, papers and books scattered about. "I'm not sure you would qualify as a refugee. The laws on entering the US with no real legal birth records are really tricky, and I mean, there are *no laws* on what to do if an immortal entity is trying to enter the country." Bev sighs. "We have to be really careful, because obviously there is a lot of interest in you. However, we might be able to use that to your advantage. You're already somewhat of a feminist icon in some circles, maybe we lean into those circles for support. If we can create a lot of public sympathy towards you, it will be harder for them to turn you away."

"Do you think it's dangerous to go back?" Kimberly asks.

"Well, my inside sources tell me the CIA is highly interested in Hera and Zeus from an intelligence standpoint. The FBI wants to track you down and criminally prosecute you for, I don't even know, I guess they think you're a threat." Bev laughs. "The media has taken a million different positions, but really I just think the people want to know more and they're clinging to whatever information they can get their hands on."

"Should we make a public statement?" Joanne asks. Everyone looks at her. "Maybe we can use the advantage of everyone wanting to know, by just telling them."

"I love it!" Hera exclaims.

"Too dangerous," Kimberly warns.

"Risky but not a bad plan," Bev ponders.

(That evening...)

"I'm here with a video submitted from an anonymous source that appears to be a legitimate recording of the Hera woman, our team has investigated the footage and it does not appear to be doctored. You heard it here first, here's an exclusive look at a message from the sensation herself...." The reporter disappears as Hera's image fills the screen.

"Citizens of the world... You know me from stories that have been written, oral traditions passed through the ages, artwork, all of it. I am Hera. I am the daughter of Cronus and Rhea, the mother of Ares, Hebe, Eileithyia, Hephaestus, and Eris. You know me as the wife of Zeus. Your world is more complex than you may know. For millennia, the Greek Pantheon has lived in Olympus, choosing to no longer interfere in the mortal world. However, I am in need of mortal help. You see, mortals have written my story. I have not had a chance to change, to share my side. My husband, Zeus, has committed many crimes against me. I cannot get divorced in Olympus. I am seeking asylum in the United States in an attempt to obtain a divorce. I want to sincerely apologize for those on the flight from Phoenix that were frightened when Zeus created a storm to scare me. With your help, we can make sure Zeus returns to Olympus and does not interfere with our world again. And, you can give me a chance to write my own story. I want to follow the example of so many strong women in mortal history who challenged their oppressors and came out victorious. Please, I urge you to give me the chance to be free."

[ Next ]

You are a divorce lawyer, the best in your field. You have just received word that you will representing the Greek goddess Hera in her divorce from Zeus.

[lingshanhermit]

Lingshan Hermit: Fools Leave Wealth, the Wise Leave Skills, and the Enlightened Leave Righteous Views

The term "兜底" (to provide a safety net) was not found in ancient Chinese language. It emerged during the late Qing dynasty, suspected to have originated from the Manchurian dialect and was a common practice among Manchurians. In modern times, it is frequently heard from the mouths of fools, implying that parents can accumulate wealth and connections to pave the way for their children. Should their children fail in life, they could still live without worry of food and clothing; and if they cause trouble, their parents could leverage their power to smooth things over. This is a perspective embraced by many fools.

However, if an adult child still requires a safety net and cannot even control their bodily functions, then such a child is truly foolish. Even if such a fool inherits immense wealth, they will not be able to preserve it, let alone enjoy a lifetime free from worry. While you are alive, you may shield them in every way, ensuring they face no difficulties, but this only results in creating a useless individual. Should the day come when you draw your last breath and your soul departs to the netherworld, leaving behind a child who neither works with their hands nor understands the basics of life, it would be akin to abandoning a newborn amidst a pack of wild beasts.

Moreover, in today’s treacherous world, even among the intelligent, there are those who rise as wealthy lords in the morning and fall to beggars by evening—how much worse it would be for a fool. Excessive wealth emboldens them, leading them to flaunt their status, fearing only that the world might not know how much gold they have at home. Such wealth intended to secure life could instead become the very cause of their downfall. In their youth, they may provoke trouble, comforted by the safety net provided by their parents; thus, they fail to learn that all actions have consequences. Once the safety net is gone, and they confront dangers again, they will inevitably suffer the repercussions themselves.

Thus, fools leave wealth, the wise leave skills, and the enlightened leave righteous views.

Another foolish argument is: “I have considerable wealth, so my children need not endure hardship.” Yet, there is no one in this world who avoids hardship altogether. If one does not endure hardship in youth and fails to understand the workings of the world, they are destined to endure extreme suffering later in life. This was demonstrated by Prince Chun of the Qing dynasty, who experienced it on behalf of others. Before his death, he once lamented: “Children with too much money become reckless; they won’t stop until they ruin the family.” These are words spoken from the depths of his heart, soaked in blood and tears. Yet, those who have not experienced this often neither understand nor believe it.

Written by Lingshan Hermit on December 23, 2024.

First published on December 23, 2024.

Copyright Notice：All copyrights of Ling Shan Hermit's articles in Simplified and Traditional Chinese, English, and other languages belong to the natural person who owns "Ling Shan Hermit". Please respect copyright. Publishers, media, or individuals (including but not limited to internet media, websites, personal spaces, Weibo, WeChat public accounts, print media) must obtain authorization from Ling Shan Hermit before use. No modifications to the articles are allowed (including: author's name, title, main text content, and punctuation marks). We reserve all legal rights.

灵山居士：愚者留家资，有智者留手艺，大慧者留正见

兜底一词，华夏古未有之。清末时方有，疑出自旗人之口，为旗人之俗。近世又常见于诸愚人之口，谓家长可为子女积财积势铺路筑桥，若子女一事无成时，亦可衣食无忧，若其惹出祸事亦可倚势铲平矣。此愚人之论，拥趸者颇多。若子女成人后尚需兜底，尚能遗粪于裤，则此子至愚矣，如是之愚子留万千之财亦守不住也，又遑论一世无忧。汝在世时，对其百般呵护，令其无忧，诸事皆做不来，施施然一废人矣。若汝一日一口气不来，魂归地府，留一四肢不勤五谷不分之子于世，犹遗一初生儿于兽群出没之处。况今日之下，世道艰险，聪慧者中，朝为富家翁暮作乞丐公者亦多矣，何况一痴儿。又兼财壮��胆，百般显派，只恐天下人不知其屋内多金，令续命之财成其亡命之因。少年时捅蜂窝，兜底之人尚在，凡事皆有人遮挡，是以不知凡事皆有果。后兜底人已逝，又临蜂巢，则必亲领蜂吻。是以，愚者留家资，有智者留手艺，大慧者留正见。又有愚者谓：“吾颇有家资，吾儿无需吃苦矣。”然世上无不吃苦之人。少时不吃苦，不知人间诸事，后必极苦。此事醇亲王已代汝先尝，其死前曾言：“子女钱多胆亦大，不丧身家不肯罢。”诚为泣血之言，然未经者不知亦不信矣。

灵山居士写于2024年12月23日。首发于2024年12月23日。

[1spy]

1991 | Matthew Sweet - “Girlfriend”

In the fall of 1991, I saw a video on MTV that changed how I thought about music and shifted my tastes significantly toward what would become known as alternative music.  No, not THAT video. I’m not talking about Nirvana and “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” It was Matthew Sweet’s anime-infused video for the title track of his third album, Girlfriend.

I’d sometimes wake up and watch MTV in the upstairs den before going to school, and I remember it was morning, and I stood there in front of the TV transfixed throughout the entire thing. I wish I could go back in time and see it again for the first time. Or see the dumb look on my face as I  heard the first strains of feedback while watching a spaceship emerge from the ocean, and then watch as a sexy, sophisticated space opera takes place over the next three minutes, interrupted only by Matthew Sweet’s disembodied head and voice.

Another version of me might have gone down the anime rabbit hole and become obsessed with manga. And I was intrigued, of course. Space Adventure Cobra: The Movie looked like the Voltron cartoons I loved as a kid, but seemed to contain nudity and adult situations. That movie looked incredible! But this was pre-internet and I had no idea where to go for softcore cartoons. Or even how to find out what movie it was. It’s been more than 30 years, and I still haven’t seen it.

Music though, was something I was learning how to investigate. And hearing Sweet’s precise stabs of dry rhythm guitar and 18 layers of harmony vocals be absolutely ripped apart by multiple unhinged guitar solos, well, that blew my mind. I had never heard anyone play guitar like that, and I wanted more of it immediately.

The “it” was Robert Quine who was, prior to this, most famous for playing with Richard Hell and the Voidoids, one of the first American punk rock bands to come out in the mid-70s. He also played with Lou Reed on his classic album, The Blue Mask. The pairing with Sweet was odd, because Sweet’s first two albums were polished, shiny pop albums that sounded like…a less exciting version of the Bangles or Cyndi Lauper. Sweet’s third album stripped away all the, uh, sweetness, but doubled down on Sweet’s layered harmony vocals while letting his guitar players go wild. 

I didn’t know it at the time, but Quine and the other main guitar player on the record, Richard Lloyd from the band Television, were actual punk pioneers. Punk rockers who played early shows with the Ramones and pre-dated british bands like The Clash and Sex Pistols. They were from a generation before Nirvana and Sonic Youth, and they specialized in the kind of guitar that rock critics called “searing” and “angular”. Together, they just kicked all kinds of ass all over this record and were a key reason why Matthew Sweet’s third album isn’t just a power pop classic. It has frequent moments of ecstatic, blistering fury and jazz-like bursts of melody. And those sounds were thrilling in the context of Sweet’s sophisticated, Beatles-soaked songwriting.

The whole album really is a power-pop masterpiece. Sweet wrote it after he was divorced from his first wife. It has big divorced guy energy. Half of it is consumed with recriminations and regrets from his dissolving relationship, the other half are wistful fantasies about finding new love. The love songs included one named for Winona Rider and one called “Evangeline” about a girl who cares more about God than she does about Sweet (btw, my parents were going to name me Evangeline had I been a girl). There’s a surprising amount of theological content on the record, and Sweet has said the record captured his emergence as an atheist. It’s his lyrics about searching for a God who seems frustratingly absent that are the album’s most consistent and compelling lyrical theme.

Finally, let me add that the ballads are killer on this album. “You Don’t Love Me”, “Your Sweet Voice” and “Nothing Lasts” provide a break from the punk rock guitar heroics in favor of pedal steel guitar from one of the masters, Greg Leisz. 

Two weeks ago, Matthew Sweet suffered a massive stroke while he was on tour in Europe with Hanson. He’s returned to the states and is now undergoing treatment and therapy towards what I hope is a full recovery. You can donate here: