#this is why if i go on so called jewish twitter i immediately lose it

[heebiegeebee]

I just don't understand why:

-the Irish president felt the ideal time to talk about Gaza was at the Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony, especially after the local population of jews begged him not to attend in the first place.

-when someone talks about Elon's seig heil and how diaspora jews have been sounding the alarm for over a year now, some self-important fingerwagger has to kool-aid man themselves into the convo to talk about "thousands of dead palestinians" then doubles, no, TRIPLES DOWN that actually YOU brought up I/P even though in reality neither you nor anyone else did (amazing how they slink away in shame without ever truly learning anything, but we remember... oh, we remember.)

-when I see that once again, pro-pali protestors decide protesting anything remotely jewish/jew-adjacent ("adjewcent", as I sometimes say) is vastly more impactful than, say, oh, I dunno, protesting the white house? I mean, I think for "media complicity in genocide", you'd go to Twitter's HQ, or FOX, or MSNBC, or literally any other place than a fucking film festival in Utah -- and then I read an article where Trump says some shit about "clearing out Gaza", and it's like the warning bulb that had been illuminated this whole time knowing this was always around the corner, now started flashing -- oh no, that means when Trump inevitably attempts to enact this ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, non-jews in the US are NOT going to protest him; they're going to go after the easy targets like they have been for the last year and a half: RANDOM DIASPORA JEWS.

Foolishly, I attempted to share this thought process with husband, who IMMEDIATELY pivoted to talking instead about how Trump will harm so, so many Gazans, and I just fucking lost it.

For over a year now, every single attempt to talk about anything that specifically is impactful to the jewish people, no matter how much it is prefaced with care and concern for the palestinian population, is automatically dismissed as unimportant and insulting compared what the poor palestinians are going through... so you would think...

YOU WOULD THINK.

...SPECIFICALLY DISCUSSING HOW THE AMERICAN JEWISH DISAPORA WILL BE HARMED BY CHRISTOFASCIST RHETORIC AND LEFTIST APATHY AND VITRIOL WOULD WARRANT MR. BUND TO FINALLY GIVE A FUCKING SHIT! But no! It got to a point where I had to ask him, as he kept saying "I understand you're scared", "husband, if you're jewish too, why aren't you scared?"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I feel like I'm losing my mind. We're always at arms length, always kept from even approaching the table.

WE ARE NOT ALLOWED TO MOURN

WE ARE NOT ALLOWED TO SEE THE SIGNS AND CALL THEM OUT

WE ARE NOT ALLOWED TO BE SCARED

WE ARE NOT ALLOWED TO DEFINE OUR OWN OPPRESSION

WE ARE NOT ALLOWED TO DEFINE OR KEEP SACRED OUR OWN WORDS

WE ARE NOT ALLOWED TO KVETCH TO OUR OWN KIND

WE ARE UNIVERSALISED AND HOLLOWED OUT

which means

we. are. not. people. to. these. people.

This all feels like some kind of sick form of "stop hitting yourself!" except it's repeatedly traumatizing a group of people and then blaming them or being offended for their being so traumatized.

[saltcherry]

post going around like “worst Anglo/Latin bastardization of Hebrew/Jewish names” and it’s giving me the Well Actuallys in a bad way.

First of all your post uses English transliteration, not Hebrew letters so aren’t you already Latinizing it yourself? second of all the singling out of Anglo/Latin and the combining of them together is inarticulate. Say Christian if that’s what you mean, it’s okay. third of all some of these alterations originate in the septuagint which is in Greek, and then moved through different languages to end up in their English forms... all of which have perfectly explainable phonetic changes. (Which I will go through and that are not complicated). Fourth of all, the conflation of Jewish and Hebrew...I understand what you’re doing and it’s irritating. Fifth of all, what’s your point? Should language and names never be translated, localized, or changed? Historically in many nations Jews have had Hebrew names and names in a local language, or just Hebrew names, or just names in another language. Sixth of all, I know OP is basically trying to be snide at Christianity, but what’s the end goal? To get Christians to talk about Mary and Matthew with “miriam” and “mattisyahu”? Sounds annoying to experience from the outside, and it doesn’t make sense inside their own traditions, which rise out of Greek more than Hebrew.

Moshe -> Moses. Greek has no “sh” sound and in the Septuagint the Hebrew letters mem-shin-hay were written as Μωϋσῆς (this is a modern rendering, not sure if the Septuagint is exactly like this but the sh sound was dropped for a s sound and the s at the end is typical of Greek names that do not end in vowel sounds (Zeus, Patrocles, Achilles, etc.).

Miriam -> Mariam (Greek) -> Maria (Greek) (short form) -> Mary (English)

Chava -> Hava -> Eva -> Eve. the “ch” in Hebrew can shift to either a “h” or a “k” in languages that lack the sound. “H” is easily dropped. end sounds shift easily. English names often drop an ending “ah” such as Anna -> Anne, Maria -> Mary, usually by way of French (I think?).

Rivka -> Rebecca. come on now. raysh-bet/vet-kof-hay. RE-BE-KA is fine.

I’m too bored to do the rest but I literally figured out stuff about Greek, a language I know jack shit about, by just looking at trends and thinking about other Greek names.... anyway you may not like translation or localization but maybe you should educate yourself on how it actually happens. Because you’re beefing with the Greeks here anyway.

[whitehotharlots]

Previewing the 2024 Democrat Primary

Within a couple weeks of his being sworn in, just about every person on earth will wish Joe Biden was no longer president. Sure, the few surviving John B. Anderson voters will be thrilled to see 4 years of crushing austerity and half-assed attempts at Keynesian stimulus. But most people will begin dreaming about a brighter future.

Good news! The 2024 Democratic primary field is going to contain dozens of options. Bad news! They are all going to be disgusting piles of shit. 

The “top tier”

While it’s too early to do any handicapping, these are the candidates the media will treat as having the most realistic chances of securing the nomination. 

Kamala Harris

Kamala did not win a single primary delegate in 2020. This is because she dropped out before the first primary, and that was because no one likes her. She has no base beyond a few thousand of twitter’s most violent psychos. Her disingenuousness approaches John Edwards levels: any halfway incredulous person can see immediately beyond her bullshit. She has no principles whatsoever, and while that may be par for the course for Democrats, she lacks even the basic politician’s ability to intuit anything that might, hypothetically, constitute a principle. 

Even better: she is an awful public speaker. She sounds like how a talking dog would speak if he were just caught stealing people food off the kitchen table. She communicates in weird grunts and faux sassy squeaks, which is how she imagines real black women sound like, but something about her is unable to sell the bit. She begins her sentences in halfhearted AAVE, stops and panics halfway through as she realizes that maybe this sounds fake and offensive, and then reminds herself oh wait, no, this is okay since I’m black. This doesn’t happen once or twice per speech. This is how every single sentence sounds. 

Kamala is like Nancy Pelosi in that no sketch show will ever impersonate her correctly, because anything that came close to authenticity would be considered far too cruel. This might benefit her in the primaries, as she exists in the minds of Democrats as someone and something she absolutely is not in reality. Nominating her would be like allowing your child’s imaginary friend to attempt to drive you to the store. 

Andrew Cuomo

Easily one of the 50 worst people alive, Cuomo has a solid chance because Democrats, same as Republicans, are unable to differentiate between electability and self-serving ruthlessness. Cuomo used the deadliest public health crisis in American history as a pretext for cutting Medicaid and firing 5,000 MTA workers, and his approval rating increased. New York Dems are little piggies who love eating shit. If we assume that the political media will continue their habit of refusing to discuss the legislative history of right wing Democrats, Cuomo might well cruise to the nomination and then lose to literally any human being the GOP nominates by an historic margin. 

Joe Biden

The party loves him because he is a right wing racist. “Progressives” tolerate him because black primary voters over 40 supported him, and their opinion is supposedly a magic window into god’s truth. Everyone else can tell he is manifestly senile. I don’t put it above the DNC to pick a candidate who is in horrible health, dying, or even dead--whatever the financial sector wants, they’ll get. But I would be shocked if his approval rating is above 39% by mid-2023, and by that point deep fake technology will be advanced enough they’ll put out a very lifelike video in which the Max Headroom version of Joe explains he’s proud of his accomplishments--that budget’s almost balanced already--but, man, I gotta abd--I gotta abdica--, uhh, I gotta, I, uhh, I gotta move down, man. 

Wild Cards

These candidates would have all have a chance if they ran, but they could all much more easily retire to Little Saint James off of kickbacks they’ve gotten from Citibank and I.G. Farben. 

Rahm Emanuel

Rahm is going to receive some hugely influential post in the Biden administration. Let’s say he becomes Secretary of Education. His signature achievement will be replacing all elementary school teachers with Amazon’s Alexa, which saved the taxpayers so much money we were able to quadruple the number of armed police officers we put into high schools. This will give him several thousand positive profiles on network news programs and the near-universal support of the Silicon Valley vampires who will own 99% of the country by the time Biden’s term ends. They will use their fancy mind control devices to convince geriatic primary voters that Rahm’s the one who will bring Decency back to the white house. His candidacy will be the paragon of wokeness, as expressing concern toward the fact that he covered up the police murder of a black guy will get you called a racist. 

Rahm has a bonus in that Jewish men are now Schrodeniger’s PoC. When they are decent human beings, they are basic, cis white men who are stealing attention from disabled trans candidates of color. When they love austerity and apartheid, they become the most vulnerable people of color on earth and criticizing them in any way is genocide. No one will be able to mention a single thing Rahm has ever done or said without opening themselves to accusations of antisemitism, and that gives him a strong edge against the rest of the field. The good news is that an Emmanuel candidacy would result in over 50% of black voters choosing the GOP candidate--which, I guess that’s not really good but it would certainly be funny. 

Gavin Newsom

Newsom is every bit as feckless as Cuomo, but he doesn’t put off the same “bad guy in an early Steven Segal movie” vibes. He will mention climate change 50 times per speech and no one will bother to mention how he keeps signing fracking contracts even though his state is now on fire 11 months of the year. If anything, this will be spun into an argument about how he’s actually the candidate best suited to handle all the water refugees gathering on the southern border. Look for his plan to curb emissions by 10% by the year 2150 to get high marks from Sierra Club nerds. He’s also a celebate librarian’s idea of what constitutes a handsome man, so he’ll have some support from the type of women who claim to hate all men. 

Larry Summers

I mean, why not? Larry, like most members of the Obama administration, has politics that are eerily similar to those of Jordan Peterson. In normal circumstances, this makes a person a dangerous fascist who should not be platformed. But if that person has a D next to their name this makes them a realistic pragmatist who has what it takes to bring suburban bankers into our tent. If current trends in Woke Phrenology continue apace, Larry’s belief that women are inherently bad at STEM will be liberal orthodoxy by 2023, and his dedication to the Laffer Curve could see him rake in massive donations. Seriously, I’m not kidding: cultural liberalism is now fully dedicated to identity essentialism and balanced budgets. Larry is their ideal candidate. If he were black and/or a woman, I’d put him in the very top tier. 

Jay Inslee

Unlike Newsom, Inslee’s attempt to crown himself the King of Global Warming won’t be immediately derailed, since his state is only on fire because of protestors. This, however, poses a different problem. He’s going to be a good test case for the Democrat’s uneasy peace with the ever increasing share of the electorate who become catatonic upon hearing a pronoun. On the one hand, you need to take their votes for granted. On the other hand, they’re not like black people or regular gays: most voters actively, consciously despise wokies, and associating yourself with them will ruin a campaign even in deep blue areas. There’s still gonna be riots in a year. Biden’s gonna announce the sale of all our nation’s potable water to the good folks at Nestle and some trans freak named Sasha-Malia DeBalzac is going to use that as an opportunity to sell their new pamphlet about how it’s fascist to not burn down small businesses. No matter what Inslee does in response, it’ll end his career. 

AOC

I’m not one of those “AOC is a secret conservative” weirdos, but I am aware enough of basic reality to know she has zero chance of coming close to the nomination. The right and the center both regard her as a literal demon. The party is already blaming her for the fact that a handful of faceless Reagan acolytes failed to flip their suburban districts even though they ran on sensible pragmatic proposals like euthanizing the homeless. The recriminations will only get more unhinged when the Dems eat shit in the 2022 midterms. She will be a Russian, she will be white male, she will be a communist, she will be a homophobe: any insult or conspiracy theory you can name, MSNBC will spend hours discussing. Her house seat challenger will receive a record amount of support from the DNC in 2024 and it’ll be all she can do to remain in congress.

Larry Hogan

Don’t be dissuaded by the fact that he’s a Republican. Larry is the DNC’s ideal candidate: a physically repulsive conservative who owes his entire career to appealing to the most spiteful desires of suburban white people. He’s an open racist in a material sense--if you’re old-school enough to think racism is a matter of beliefs and actions, rather than the presence of cultural signifiers--but his is the beloved “never Trump” style of racism that Dems covet. He’s also a Proven Leader who thinks the role of government should be to finance the construction of investment property and give police the resources they need to run successful drug trafficking operations. Few people embody the Democrat worldview more than Larry. 

The Losers Bracket

These people will have at least a small chance due solely to the fact that the Democrats love losing. They have lost in the past, and in the Democrat Mind that makes them especially qualified.

Joe Kennedy

The man looks like a mushroom-human hybrid from a JRPG. Trump proved that physical hideousness need not doom a presidential bid, but a candidate still needs some kind of charm or oratorical abilities or, god forbid, a decent platform. Joe aggressively lacks all of these things. A vanity campaign would be a good way to raise money and perhaps secure an MSNBC gig, so Joe might still run. 

Mayor Pete 

I am 100% convinced that Pete’s 2020 run was a CIA plot meant to prevent working class Americans from ever having a chance of living decent lives. I am also 100% aware that Democrats are dumb enough to enthusiastically support a CIA plot meant to prevent working class Americans from ever having a chance of living decent lives. If we have some sort of military or terror disaster between now and 2023 the Dems are sure to want a TROOP, and wait wait wait you’re telling me this one is a gay troop? Holy hell there’s no way that could lose!

Stacy Abrams

Never underestimate the power of white guilt. She lost the gubernatorial race to Gomer Pyle’s grandson, and her spiritual guidance of the Dems saw the party lose black voters in Georgia in 2020. Nonetheless, she is regarded as a magic font of fierceness within the DNC. She might stand a chance if she can establish herself as the most conservative non-white candidate in the field, but there’s going to be stiff competition for that honor.

Elizabeth Warren

Liz is probably angry that the party so shamelessly sold her out even after she was a good little girl and sabatoged Bernie’s campaign for them--yet another example of high ranking US government officials reneging on their promises to the Native American community. Smdh. The fact that this woman hasn’t been bankrupted a dozen times over by various Wallet Inspectors genuinely astounds me. So Liz is probably going to run again, and her campaign will be even sadder the second time around. 

It might surprise you to hear this if you don’t work at a college or NGO, but Liz diehards actually do exist. She’ll get even less support this time because there will be no viable leftist in the field for her to spoil, but she’ll still hang in long enough to make sure the very worst possible candidate beats out the second worst possible candidate. Maybe she’ll fabricate a rape accusation against Sherrod Brown. Maybe she’ll spend her entire allotted debate time doing a land acknowledgment. With Liz, anything is possible--so long as it ends in failure. 

Amy Klobuchar 

Amy was the most bloodthirsty of the 2020 also rans. She will double down on the unpopular failures of the Biden administration, explaining that if you weren’t such a selfish idiot you’d love the higher social security retirement age and oh my god are so such a moron you think you shouldn’t go bankrupt to get a COVID vaccine? There’s a non-unsubstantial segment of the Democratic base that’s self-hating enough to find this appealing, but it won’t be enough to make her viable. 

Martha Coakley

She lost Ted Kennedy’s senate seat to a retarded man who was pretending to be even more retarded than he actually was. Then she lost a gubernatorial race to a guy who openly promised Massachusetts voters that he would punish them for electing him. Her record of failure is unparalleled, making her perhaps the ideal Democrat standard bearer for the twenty twenties. 

[jasminesroses]

WHAT I’VE BEEN WATCHING (◕‿◕✿)

1. BlackkKlansman

Spike Lee’s “BlackkKlansman” is loosely based on a true story of a black officer, Ron Stallworth, who infiltrated the KKK. 

I really enjoyed the conflict Lee explored with Stallworth’s character, played by John David Washington, in the beginning of the film. Stallworth is the mix of two entities bitterly divided against one another- the black community versus the police force. 

An emblazoned heart inspires Stallworth to prove himself as more than just a rookie cop, a Jackie Robinson of his department, and anything but a “pig.” He starts engaging in phone calls with Klan- ahem- “Organization” members and leads his first investigation.

“Did you just use your real name?”

Adam Driver plays Flip Zimmerman, Stallworth’s “white counterpart” in the investigation. Driver’s sharp wit keeps up the comedic pacing of the film but it’s his growing vulnerability that gives his character an arc. This is not like any other job- a realization Zimmerman, of Jewish faith, comes to find with a nudge by Stallworth and a heart-stopping confrontation with the Klan. 

Overall, this movie was beyond words... the paralleled sequences between the separate hosted events by the Klan and Black Panthers only build suspense towards the explosive climax. This film doesn’t need my late recommendation after winning an Oscar for best adapted screenplay and being nominated for Best Picture. 

All I gotta say is- don’t wait (like I did) to watch this movie if you haven’t seen it yet and please don’t write it off if you think Lee’s voice doesn’t agree with your political views. Above all... it’s a story about hate. 

2. Three Identical Strangers

Right after I watched BlackkKlansman, I knew I had to watch another great film. So why not go through my Oscars “unwatched” list. I really wish I tried better this year- only watching Bohemian Rhapsody (only half- couldn’t bear to finish), Green Book (got bored and never finished!), Free Solo (good), and Spiderverse (loved). Oy.

Anyways. Three Identical Strangers is a documentary that starts light and then leaves you off feeling unsettled. I won’t even think about spoiling it- even though it is off of real events but it’s a story of triplets who found each other. 

I really loved Bobby’s story which kicks off the movie and immediately hooks you... stepping into school on the first day and you’re instantly the coolest guy around. 

I, being obsessed with myself, tried to think about what I would’ve done if I saw my twin- let alone my twin’s twin who’s also my twin? BAH! I’d lose it- I would never blink again probably just looking at myself and myself. 

Their story captivated the nation and sent these boys into instant stardom- they went viral without the Internet! Also, can you believe how this story kicks off without Facebook, without Instagram, without Twitter- all before we were all socially connected and can find just about anyone with a twinge of curiosity and a search bar. 

This success of this film shows how we are still in awe of their story but this documentary isn’t just about how they found each other... but how they were separated in the first place....

3. Logan Lucky

Ok, I may have been on an Adam Driver binge these week (and may still be..) and I blame New York and I blame my co-workers who have seen him on Broadway. 

Ugh.

So I decided to give Logan Lucky another try... and I loved it. I remember trying to watch it months ago and just. didn’t. get. it. I think I watched the first 20 minutes and within five minutes it became background noise. 

Amazon Prime believed in me and so I tried it again with full attention. It starts off with devoted father, Jimmy Logan (Channing Tatum), who is down on his luck and in desperate need of fast money.

“CAULIFLOWER!”

In an instant, Jimmy pulls his brother Clyde (Driver) into another one his schemes and the whole movie turns into an “Oceans” heist- and I’m all for it. The Logans manage to convince Joe Bang (Daniel Craig) and his bumbling brothers to join their plot to rob the Speedway on Memorial Day.

There’s a scene where Bang tells the Logans that everybody sees them as “simple” to which they are offended. Looking back, I saw this as the heart of the movie because much like NASCAR, this movie switches gears and goes full throttle. 

My eyes were wide nearing the end and when the movie finally went to black, I sat there as if the Logans pulled a fast one on me. I definitely recommend... this movie is fun and it’s smart and it’s unpredictable. There were scenes that were just unbelievably funny I had to rewatch in that moment just to fully appreciate the quick-witted writing. 

4. Isle of Dogs

“Did somebody say wit?” quietly asks Wes Anderson from a distance. 

I am just the worst probably when it comes to liking movies on the first watch. This was another film I tried to watch like two or three times before it finally captured my attention. That’s not to say it’s a bad film- OH IT’S NOT- I think it’s so deliciously sweet and symmetrical and smart... it may be hard to swallow. 

It’s 100% me. I forget how much I love Wes Anderson movies because they are just too sweet. But boy do I love Wes Anderson movies- they are like triple chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, and chocolate sprinkles. 

So this movie is set in a dystopian city in Japan where all dogs have been exiled to trash island.

Our little hero, Atari (Koyu Rankin), makes an unexpectant crash-landing on the island during his mission to rescue his dog, Spots (Liev Schrieber). He’s rescued from the wreckage by a pack of dogs, who were once housepets- with an exception of Chief (Bryan Cranston) who lived as a stray before exile. 

I just loved the interaction between the dogs especially the frustration Rex (Edward Norton) has with the rebellious Chief. 

“All in favor say ‘Aye.’“ “Nay.”

I honestly thought I just loved Bob Balaban voicing King but I loved Jeff Goldblum and Bill Murray along with the rest of the pack. I honestly couldn’t stop smiling during their interactions especially right after they get separated on some sort of ski-lift contraption. 

The fluidity of the stop-motion animation along with Anderson’s attention to detail and signature composition make it (of course) so pleasing to watch. 

I also just love how this movie also captures the different, individualistic, human-like personalities dogs develop... another favorite is Tilda Swinton’s seer pug- who really gets her visions from a television. Brilliant.

[fapangel]

SO what do you what will happen now with the whole fake Bomer guy supposedly be a trump supporter? Do you think the blue wave will restart or is it too little to late?

The most significantrevelation of the mail-bomber incident was that the Republicanmainstream – not the usual fringe kooks, but the levelheaded,respected commentators – immediately suspected it to be amanufactured “October Surprise.”

Some of those knee-jerktweets have since been deleted, likelyfor the same reason that I was more alarmed that I could entertain a“false flag” theory in the first place than I was by the possible“false flag” itself. Embracing asinine conspiracy theoriesis, to me, a hallmark of left-wing agitprop, an indelible impressionfrom my formative Bush-era youth when ~Halliburton~ and~Bush’s cabinet of puppeteers who have Jewish last names~was unceasingly invoked in anypolitical argument. And yet, despite knowing theoverwhelming odds of a lone lunatic being the perp (as indeed theywere) and my own decades-old biases against conspiracy theories, Istill found myselfmuttering dubiously.

Iwasn’t alone in that impression – the NewYork Times picked up on it too, and as is their wont managed todisclose their unique myopia as well. In their effort to equate allright-wing media to Alex “Lizardman Chemtrails” Jones’s usualconspiracytainment bullshit, theydrop this revealing paragraph:

Mr.Jones has been largely pushed tothe fringes of the internet — kicked off Twitter, Facebook and adozen other services — and his cries for attention now seem mostlypitiful. (This week, he was filmed yellingat a pile of manure outsidea rally for President Trump in Texas.) Buthis spirit lives on in the larger universe of pro-Trump media, whichhas fused the conspiratorial grandeur of Infowars with an unshakablefaith in Mr. Trump’s righteousness.

Theyautomatically equate media exposure of an idea with how manyviewers believe the idea. The thesis of the article lies inthese two sentences; Alex Jones has been silenced, but the moremainstream right-wing media has picked up his ideas, and that’s whythey’re still alive.

Thisalone speaks volumes about the media’s worldview, but to reallydrive it home see thisarticle wherein the reporter blames Trump’s attacks on themedia for their plummeting popularity, as if the Great PresidentialPumpkin can sway millions of Americans into hating themainstream media via his eldritch mind-control rays. This is why theyspeak of “an unshakable faith in Mr. Trump’s righteousness-”leftists view the world in terms of stupid mobs and the influentialdemagogues that sway and lead them. They simply cannot comprehendthat their own actions have shattered the public’s trust in them,despite the problem long predating Trump (one of my Journalism 101professors cited trust polling that consistently put Journalistsbelow used car salesmen back in 2007!) They find it easier tobelieve that their vast media empires’ combined megaphone is beingdrowned out by RumpleTrumpskien pied piping on his magical racistdogwhistle than to admit that people might think for themselves longenough to call them out on their egregious lies.

Thisdovetails nicely with recent revelations thatthe FBI leaked information to the press, then cited said “reporting”to the Justice Dept. as justification for further investigations,including FISA wiretapping warrants. Whilethe media’s lunacy is frequently amusing – reporters leaningdramatically into nonexistent wind, CNN’sfit over a panel truck blocking their stalker peephole in the hedge,or going bugfuck insane because Trumphad dinner without informing the media – nobody’s laughinganymore. And it’s precisely because of the growing understandingamong the populace of how the media has wantonly abused its power toaid the abuse of Federal power to nullify the results of a democraticelection.As Ian Miles Cheong said; “if the media can lie about somethingas insignificant as a koipond feeding ceremony, what else are they lying about?”

Well,now we know – and the people don’t seem amused.

I’vecovered the media’s worldview and demonstrable myopia before; Iaddress it in this instance to show thatthe media simply cannot adapt their message. Indeed,the NYT article on fringe-to-mainstream cites the mocking/pol/ “suspicious devices” meme without apparentunderstanding of how it undermines their implicit assumptions mereparagraphs prior of deplatforming speakers equalingthe silencing of their ideas. Theleft-wing “mobs and demagogues” is more than theory to them; it’show they organize – which is why John Oliver’s sick Friday nightburns are being repeated ad nauseam on Facebook by early Saturdaymorning. Theleft truly cannotmeme;it’s simply how they function. So when RumpleTrumpskien needles themedia into talking All About Themselves instead of the issues at handyetagain, iteffectively makes the mediathe issue at hand – and given that pollingconsistently shows that many Democrats are coming to distrust themedia of late, that’s not a strong issue for the DNC.Conversely, right-wingers will be shitposting the latest dank memeswith or without Alex Jones’s Twitterfeed, comehellor Maxine Waters.

Thusly,I conclude the mail bomber incident won’t have a significant impacton the electoral map – notjust because of widespread cynicism engendered by constant mediafalsehoods, but also because the structural problems that producedsuch alsocripple the media’s ability to exploit such incidents. In fact, themedia’s incredible blindness makes them likely to harmthe left-wing’s cause by doubling down on narratives that wereasinine the first time around. There is no bad news for the DNC thatthe media’s mental illness cannot make worse. Takethe latest example of thesynagogue shooter thatturnedout to be a Trump-hater who thought POTUSwas controlled Jews. Theusual hate-mongeringWaPo crowd actuallydug up the “star-shapedbackground graphic in a campaign ad” gem that was laughablelunacy beforeTrumpmoved the US embassy to Jerusalem and made defending Israel in the UNa cornerstone of US foreign policy. Thisis placed at the topofthe article, as if it’s a powerful and convincing lead-in to thelong-winded paranoid rambling of “troll armies” motivated by theusual mystic ~coded signals~ mentioned later on. Eventhe more sober-sounding takes likethis NYT hit-piece must open by blaming Trump for the crimes ofTrump-supporters andTrump-haters,which obliges the author to afascinating attempt in pissing up a rope without getting wet.

Itnaturally follows, then, that breathless media polling reports citing85% and upwards chances of a “blue wave” retaking the House areabout as trustworthy as similar polling in 2016. Even Nate Silver’smuch-vaunted “538” polling agency has come under prettypointed criticism for the number of times they’ve shrugged offsimilar “80%” predictions that haven’t come to pass – froma Harvard professor, no less. Furthermore,midterm elections are different in many ways – local issues oftenhave people more fired up (read, pissed off,) especially regardinggubernatorial elections. Since midterms are traditionally very lowturnout, a popular gubernatorial candidate can have a huge impact on“down-ballot” races – i.e. people show up to vote for thegovernor, and vote straight party ticket for alltheother candidates, US House included. In short, the polls mean jackdiddly squat, soeveryone’s simply reporting what they want (if you don’t believeme, look no further than Fox News’s reportinga nail-biting dead heat currently, then thisSeptember 22ndarticle on how dismissing “blue wave” rhetoric as the bullshit itis could suppress the Republican vote via overconfidence.A “dead heat” narrative is the safest way to turn out votes; norisk of overconfidence or hopelessness keeping people away from thepolls.) Soto evaluate the potentials, we must turn to the murkiest of allpolitical-forecastingcrystal balls - “energy levels.”

There’sbeen multiple media-exacerbated own-goals for the left in thatregard, most notably the mind-blowingly vicious smear campaignagainstJustice Kavanaugh that only managed to rile the right wing via sheeroutrage even more than the left. I could roll this one around fora while – talking about the surprising pluralities (note therelatively high numbers of Democrats and low numbers of Republicans“Very Angry” over Kavanaugh’s suffering; a surprisinglycenter-right plurality,) or how big the Republican benefit really was(Republicans being moderately more outraged than Democrats amounts toa low gain if Democrats enteredthe fray with high outrage already; but it’s likely that manyRepublicans who didn’t care at all before are outraged now).Butthere’s a larger factor to contend with – the historical realitythat the party controlling the Executive usually loses seats in theHouse in midterm elections. It happens with regularity for the samereason PoliSci101 shows you a “standardized plot” of Presidential approvalratings over time – human nature. Whoever’s in charge gets blamedfor everything bad, simply enough – so even popular Presidents willshed a few seats in the mid-terms. Combine this with the importanceof turnout in midterm elections and the oft-lamented anti-Trumpobsession on the left, and everything seems to point to Democratsbeing more motivated.

However,I’m not so sure they are.

Youtuber“Aydin Paladin,” an advanced psych student who usually talksabout psychology in a political context, did a video 11 months agotitled “LeftistLethargy and Low Energy,” specifically addressing how aconstant state of horror and outrage at every single damn Trump tweethas the inevitable consequence of emotional burnout. One cannot stayoutraged forever. At some point, you simply stop caring. Onecould debate Ayadin’s point that the left was demonstrablyhittingthis point a year ago, or posit that they’ve had time to recover –but I personally believe the lethargy lingers. Myevidence? A quick jaunt through the New York Times’ editorial page:

*A Halloween op-ed about Trump literally being worse than the fuckingbogeyman (“WhenNightmares Are Real” by Jennifer Finney Boylan,)

*An article begging Democrats not to take a usually-safe votingdemographic for granted, Native Americans

*An article on “how to turn people into voters,” featuring a modelspecific to “black Southerners,” who are a safe Democraticdemographic – but only when they actually turn up to vote,

*Andmost tellingly, an article titled“You’redisillusioned. That’sfine. Vote anyway.”

Blindand narcissistic they may be, but I trust the media to know their owntribe – and theiroutlookon the base’s revolutionary fervor looks rather dim. Once again themedia’s endless talent for own-goals is apparent. The continuingdemonizingof Trump as theworst nightmare ever onlyensures that a choir that tired of the preaching a year ago willremain so. The struggle to get black voters to actually turn out isan old and ongoing one, but pissed-off Native Americans isn’t justElizabethWarren’s fault – it was mostly the media that accepted her DNAtest showing some squillionth of a percent of native DNA asvindication,andthen gallopedover to Trump to triumphantly flaunt it at him, giving him a goldenopportunity to mock it on national TV – on their own live networkbroadcasts, even.

You’llnote that the point regarding the media’s self-sabotage of theleft-wing movement was made many paragraphs ago, but it continues torear its awful head as a salient factor in almost every exampleillustrating any otherpoint in this article – this is how pervasive it is.

There’smore to Democratic lethargy than the media pissing off key left-wingDemographics in western states with important House races, however –there’s also the overall lack of a message. Instead of coalescingon a single one, Democrats appear to be taking a local-issuesapproach, which is rather awkward given they – and the media –have spent the last two years making absolutelyeverything aboutTrump. They’re stillmaking everything about Trump (e.g.synagogue shooter) even now,inthe eleventh hour. Thenthere’s the notable and growing strain between old-schoolblue-collar union Democrats and the “progressive wing” (viz.privileged wealthy white socialists) whichdivides their messaging on the economy – especially tellingconsidering the record-low unemployment and rapidlyrising wages. (It’s hard to tell people they’re living inObama’s economy whenyou were telling them it was Trump’s climate a few months ago.)

Andof course, the cherry on this shitstorm sundae is the latest greatestmigrant caravan advancing through Mexico – seven thousandstrong, originally – which took Trump’s single greatest electionissue and slam-dunked it in the middle of the debate again. Thecaravan is significant because it tangiblyprovesTrump’s long-standing point regarding immigration problems, and isexactly the kind of thing a big wall would hinder – awall Trump can’t build if he can’t get a funding bill through theHouse.

Insum, the left still lacks a coherent message, is still desensitizingtheir electorate with constant panicked screeching, is frequentlypissing off their own key constituencies with their ham-handedagitprop, and are helping to suppress their own vote by portraying anelection that’s all but won. Meanwhile the Republicans have aPresident who’s actually delivered on many of his promises, has agreat recent event to showcase how delivering on the rest rides onthis next election, and, in general, have optimism.Somethingabout Kanye West’s recent visit to the White House stood out to me– he saidhe had nothing against Hillary’s campaign slogan, but when he puton a MAGA hat, he “felt like Superman.”

“Feltlike Superman.” That’s a sentiment of empowerment.Obamaunderstood the power of positive messaging – it’show “Hope and Change” swept him into office in his first term.Democratsthis year simply don’t.

Ican’t call it either way. But I cantell you that anyone who thinks this election is all over but for thecounting isnuts. The battle lines of 2016 have only been dug deeper, and thesimple truths of human nature make for an uphill fight – but by thesame token, Democrats have badly misplayed the hands they have, arecompletely incapable of real self-reflection on any significantscale, and Trump’s been President for two years with realsuccesses, with the much-ballyhooed Trumpocolypse yet to descend.

Insofaras I can call anything, I’d say this election is going to be close.I’d tell you to go out and vote, especiallyif you don’t want to see the party encouraging mob intimidation andstoking racial hatred controlling the House – which they’ll useto launch endless sham investigations of Trump long after Mueller’scharade finally gives up the ghost, in addition to impeaching himjust for the hell of it. If Trump loses the House he- and his agenda- will be a lame-duck for the next two years, because any seriousbill needs to be passed by both House and Senate.

Onceagain, everything is on the line.

I’mnot sick of winning yet.

[the-christian-walk]

FULFILLMENT

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to Gods4all@aol.com In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

And Saul approved of their killing him.

On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him.

But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.

Acts 8:1-3

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated Me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you also.” John 15:18-20

Well before He was arrested, falsely accused and convicted, beaten and abused, and then crucified on a cross at Calvary, Jesus had warned about the future for those who would choose to be His disciples. He knew they would be treated as badly as He was and He wanted to give them advance warning.

As the eighth chapter of Acts open, we see the prophecy from John’s Gospel fulfilled.

For the Sanhedrin, their ears closed to the history lesson provided by Stephen, a history lesson intended to prevent them from repeating the mistakes of their ancestors, dragged Stephen outside the city and sanctioned his execution by stoning. The killing was gladly supervised by a fervent Jew by the name of Saul. We’ll spend most of Acts looking at Saul’s story and how he comes to Christ and becomes a great apostle named Paul, but for now, we need to remember that Saul was a master persecutor who never hesitated to kill a Christian if the opportunity presented itself.

He wasn’t alone for we read where the Jewish religious leaders capitalized on the stoning of Stephen by going full throttle in persecuting the Christian church in Jerusalem.

How severe was this persecution?

So severe that all Christian disciples, with the exception of the apostles, scattered and dispersed to the regions of Judea and Samaria to avoid Saul’s onslaught as he went from home to home, dragging off Christian believers and incarcerating them. The goal was stopping the spread of Jesus followers but the Jewish religious authorities and their chief persecutor, Saul, actually served to advance the Gospel through their actions, and in doing so, fulfilling two other predictions, one by Jesus and the other by a Pharisee named Gamaliel as he sought to advise the Sanhedrin during their trial of the apostles. We’ll look at Gamaliel’s words first and then Jesus’.

“A Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. Then he addressed the Sanhedrin: “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” Acts 5:34-39

At the time, the Sanhedrin was persuaded and didn’t put the apostles to death. As a result, a dispersing never materialized. But it didn’t take long for the Sanhedrin to forget Gamaliel’s wisdom because instead of seeing that by fighting Stephen, they were really fighting God, which was always going to be a losing proposition, they executed Stephen and witnessed first had why Gamaliel had warned them as he did. For the disbursement of disciples occurred and the Jewish religious authorities immediately lost any control they may have had in trying to stop the cause of Jesus.

Of course, as mentioned, Jesus also had predicted this as He addressed His disciples before His ascension. Going back to the first chapter of Acts, we find Jesus saying these words:

“…you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8

Jesus foretold how the Gospel would be spread. There was a playbook that would be fulfilled and followed perfectly because Jesus was calling the plays.

After the Holy Spirit, the Gospel would first take root in Jerusalem and the apostles made sure that happened as thousands upon thousands of new believers joined the church.

And now, with the killing of Stephen and breakout of persecution in Jerusalem, the Gospel spreading plan was entering stage 2 where we’ll see it shared in Judea and Samaria before heading to the ends of the earth.

Over and over again in the scriptures, we find the pattern of prophecy followed by fulfillment. We can always count on things happening just the way the Lord says they will happen because His words are always perfectly true. Never forget that when you start to be dismayed with the way the world is going. For we know the world will enter into a steady decline and spiral into evil and wickedness but we also know that Jesus is going to return and all those who placed their belief and hope in Him will be ushered into glory forever, to a new eternal home where we’ll never ever have to see persecution happen again.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to Gods4all@aol.com

[romancatholicreflections]

24th March >> Fr. Martin’s Gospel Reflections on John 11:45-56 for Saturday, Fifth Week of Lent: ‘Jesus was to die for the nation’. Saturday, Fifth Week of Lent Gospel (Europe, Africa, New Zealand, Australia & Canada) John 11:45-56 Jesus was to die to gather together the scattered children of God Many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary and had seen what Jesus did believed in him, but some of them went to tell the Pharisees what Jesus had done. Then the chief priests and Pharisees called a meeting. ‘Here is this man working all these signs’ they said ‘and what action are we taking? If we let him go on in this way everybody will believe in him, and the Romans will come and destroy the Holy Place and our nation.’ One of them, Caiaphas, the high priest that year, said, ‘You do not seem to have grasped the situation at all; you fail to see that it is better for one man to die for the people, than for the whole nation to be destroyed.’ He did not speak in his own person, it was as high priest that he made this prophecy that Jesus was to die for the nation – and not for the nation only, but to gather together in unity the scattered children of God. From that day they were determined to kill him. So Jesus no longer went about openly among the Jews, but left the district for a town called Ephraim, in the country bordering on the desert, and stayed there with his disciples. The Jewish Passover drew near, and many of the country people who had gone up to Jerusalem to purify themselves looked out for Jesus, saying to one another as they stood about in the Temple, ‘What do you think? Will he come to the festival or not?’ Gospel (USA) John 11:45-56 To gather together in unity the scattered children of God. Many of the Jews who had come to Mary and seen what Jesus had done began to believe in him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. So the chief priests and the Pharisees convened the Sanhedrin and said, “What are we going to do? This man is performing many signs. If we leave him alone, all will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our land and our nation.” But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing, nor do you consider that it is better for you that one man should die instead of the people, so that the whole nation may not perish.” He did not say this on his own, but since he was high priest for that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, and not only for the nation, but also to gather into one the dispersed children of God. So from that day on they planned to kill him. So Jesus no longer walked about in public among the Jews, but he left for the region near the desert, to a town called Ephraim, and there he remained with his disciples. Now the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went up from the country to Jerusalem before Passover to purify themselves. They looked for Jesus and said to one another as they were in the temple area, “What do you think? That he will not come to the feast?” Reflections (4) (i) Saturday, Fifth Week of Lent In today’s gospel reading, Caiaphas, the high priest, speaks at a meeting of the Jewish ruling council. The high priest at that time was closely associated with the Roman ruling power. The Roman governor gave the high priest a certain autonomy in running the affairs of the people, provided he was loyal to Rome and ensured that the people remained loyal. Caiaphas would have been concerned to ensure that the Romans were kept on side, so as to maintain his own position. We can hear that concern in the words of Caiaphas in the gospel reading, ‘If we let him (Jesus) go on in this way everybody will believe in him, and the Romans will come and destroy the Holy Place and our nation’. If Jesus, the Jew, starts to gain a large following, especially in Jerusalem, the Romans will take action and everyone will suffer. This leads Caiaphas to state his pragmatic solution, ‘it is better for one man to die for the people, than for the whole nation to be destroyed’. The individual can be sacrificed to the perceived good of the collective. This is a way of reasoning that has always been with us and remains with us today. Individuals don’t really matter; what matters is the nation, the people, the collective, the state, the institution. In the ministry of Jesus, the individual mattered a great deal. He related to each person with respect for their uniqueness and individuality. It is above all the individual human being who is precious in God’s sight and needs cherishing by others. The good of the collective can never be pursued at the expense of the individuals who make it up. Jesus was put to death for the people, to preserve the perceived good of the nation, to keep the status quo. For the evangelist, the irony is that Jesus did die for the people, but not in the sense Caiaphas intended. He died out of love for all, to gather together into one family of faith the scattered children of God. We are all members of that new family that was formed through the death of Jesus. As members of that family that has Jesus as our brother, we are called to relate to others with the same care for the individual as Jesus showed. And/Or (ii) Saturday, Fifth Week of Lent Pragmatism is a quality that is often admired in political leaders. In this morning’s gospel reading we have an example of a rather deadly form of political pragmatism. Caiaphas, the high priest, declares to his fellow religious leaders, ‘it is better for one man to die for the people, than for the whole nation to be destroyed’. Jesus was threatening the status quo, therefore he should be eliminated. This particular individual is expendable for the sake of the nation as a whole. That outlook of considering one individual as expendable for the sake of the perceived good of the majority is not unique to the time and place of Jesus; it has always been around and is still around. It is the opposite to the outlook of Jesus. For Jesus the individual was everything. Jesus is the good shepherd who calls his own by name; he called Lazarus from the tomb by name; he called Zacchaeus down from his tree by name; he called Mary Magdalene outside the empty tomb by name. The individual was of infinite value to Jesus. The Lord calls each of us by name; we are each precious in his sight. He also wants us to call on him by name, just as the good thief did on the cross, when he prayed, ‘Jesus, remember me’. And/Or (iii) Saturday, Fifth Week of Lent This evening we begin Holy Week, a time when we reflect on the last week of Jesus’ life, beginning with his entry into the city of Jerusalem. In the gospel reading we have just read, a formal decision is taken by the Jewish authorities to have Jesus put to death. As a result, according to our reading, ‘from that day they were determined to kill him’. The gospel we have just read immediately follows the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. It was this life-giving action of Jesus that sealed his fate, according to John’s gospel. It was because he gave life to others, in various ways, that he was put to death. Yet, without their being aware of it, those who were responsible for putting Jesus to death enabled him to continue his life-giving work in an even more powerful way. In the words of our gospel reading this morning, Jesus died ‘to gather together in unity the scattered children of God’. In and through his death Jesus was able to reveal God’s life-giving love more fully and more powerfully, and, in so doing, to gather people together around the cross, because they recognize it as the revelation of God’s unconditional love. This coming Holy Week, we are invited to allow ourselves to be gathered together around the cross in response to the Lord’s great love that flows from the cross and embraces us all. And/Or (iv) Saturday, Fifth Week of Lent At the end of this morning’s gospel reading, a decision is made by the Jewish authorities to put Jesus to death. He was considered a threat to the status quo, from which the authorities benefited. In every age and culture, those who are perceived to be disturbing the way things have always been are silenced in one way or another. Jesus was disturbing the status quo just by being true to his deepest calling from God. He came to bring God’s life to the world. He had just raised Lazarus from the dead and brought joy to a grieving family. It was this liberating, life-giving work that was perceived as threatening. It was because Jesus came as the Life-Giver that he was put to death. In giving life to people like Lazarus, Jesus lost his own life. Yet, the further paradox was that in losing his life, in having his life taken from him, Jesus continued his life-giving work. Jesus was the Life-Giver on the cross, as much as when he walked the paths of Galilee and the streets of Jerusalem. In this morning’s gospel reading, the evangelist declares that Jesus’ dying had a gathering effect. He died ‘to gather together in unity the scattered children of God’. Jesus’ death was an even fuller revelation of God’s life-giving love for the world, than his life had been. God’s love pouring from the broken body of Jesus drew people to Jesus and gathered them together around him. This is one of the ways his death was life-giving for others. That is why we call the Friday on which Jesus was crucified Good Friday and why we venerate the wood of the cross on that day, rather than simply grieving over it. Fr. Martin Hogan, Saint John the Baptist Parish, Clontarf, Dublin, D03 AO62, Ireland. Email: sjtbclontarf@eircom.net or frmartinhogan@gmail.com Parish Website: www.stjohnsclontarf.ie Please join us via our webcam. Twitter: @SJtBClontarfRC. Facebook: St John the Baptist RC Parish, Clontarf. Tumblr: Saint John the Baptist Parish, Clontarf, Dublin.

[artificialqueens]

Toledo (Trixya) - Joanne Elizabeth

AN: Hi there! Long time reader, first time submitter. I’ve had this fic in my files for a while, but have been too nervous to submit it. But with a sudden gust of courage and absolutely no beta, I bring you this outdated Trixya fic. I wrote it right after Katya was saying all of the things on stage about Trixie.  [Male pronouns, male body parts]

“I know that’s the joke, and that you’re all flooding your haunted caverns over it, but it’s real to us. I did try to fuck her, she did turn me down four times, and we are still friends despite my neuroses and her hot Jewish sausage packer of a boyfriend. But let me tell you this, Tracy Joanne Elizabeth Martel is my best friend and soulmate. She is the light in my dark tunnel of life, and I thank the good Lord of Hell Lucifer himself each and every day I get to exist with her beside me. But I would like to request that you let me live that truth every day without interjection, because I would never want to disrespect her or upset her. That is, until she shows interest, Barbara. The second either that egg shaped heela-monster or that blonde Barbie bitch shows an inkling of interest in me, oh, it’s on, bitch. The sequel. I’d give up both nuts and my ding a ling to so much as kiss a single hair on her bald ass head, not that she’d want me without this exquisite package anyway. But enough about me and my unrequited and unsolicited and unhealthy love for my best friend, let’s start the next song!”

Katya burst through his dressing room, eyes going straight to the table where he had left his cigarettes, because fuck did he need one. What the hell had he just done? But something stood in her way. Someone.

Fuck.

“What in the hell is wrong with you? Actually?” Trixie wasn’t laughing. And he was in full drag. Katya could feel her brain trying to work it out.

“I didn’t know you’d be here” was all he managed.

“Would that have fucking stopped you from telling a crowd full of people with camera phones our full story?” Fuck, he was mad. Madder than Katya had seen in awhile.

“I didn’t - I didn’t plan it. Why are you here?” Katya was still stunned. Trixie was wearing the tropical swimsuit that made her padded hips pop with the white cover up that Katya had bought her in Brazil. She looked amazing, despite her angry face showing through the four pounds of makeup.

“I was going to surprise you, you bitch. But I can’t fucking go out there now, can I? Fuck, Katya, I didn’t even bring my stuff to change. It’s all back at your fucking hotel. You’re so selfish!” Katya stood still as Trixie paced the small area of the dressing room.

“I’m sorry,” Katya began, “I have to go back out soon. Stay here. We can ride back to the hotel together.” Trixie nodded sharply, throwing himself down on the small couch.

Katya left without his cigarettes and without knowing if it was even his time to go back out. He finished the show on auto pilot, thankful his meet and greet was before the show at this venue.

When he returned, he saw that Trixie had packed up all of his things, better than Katya would have done.

“Thanks,” he muttered, putting his backpack on. He assumed untucking and changing here wouldn’t be okay in the ways it was normal for them. Katya led them to the entrance and lit a cigarette the second his foot touched the pavement. He sucked roughly on the end of it, watching their cab pull closer. They climbed into it, without Trixie saying anything the whole way, or even looking her direction.

Once in the elevator, Katya chose six while Trixie pressed four. When the doors opened, Katya opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by Trixie.

“Cmon,” she grunted, sticking his arm out to hold the elevator. Katya jumped and followed him by impulse. It wasn’t until Trixie’s door shut behind him that he realized that she had willingly walked into another fight.

“Trix, let me explain,” Katya began. But he couldn’t finish. Even when his friend, crush, best friend, soul mate, love interest, and life partner signaled him to continue.

“Okay, then I’ll start,” Trixie snapped. But his eyes softened before he spoke again, “Did you mean it?” Katya’s heart sank. That was the one thing she didn’t want to talk about.

“I don’t want to fuck up what we have. I know you’re with Jason, and I know it’s not a thing, and I promise you I am so, so fine with being friends. But you can’t break our friendship over this, you just can’t. I’ll die. I don’t know why I said that shit, except that to be honest I missed you like crazy and our phone calls aren’t helping because sometimes just being in the same room as you keeps me in my fragile state of pseudo sanity, except for obviously right now. But Tracy please, you have to tell me what to do to make this right. Yell at me, hit me, I’ll get a fake boyfriend and put him on Instagram so the fans lay off, but you can’t–”

He froze when Trixie placed a hand on his forearm. His hands were rough, like he’d been playing the guitar a lot.

“So you meant it?” Katya nodded before he could think of another ramble.

Trixie laughed, the loud cackling laugh that always made Katya jump in his skin. The hand on his arm tightened it’s grip and yanked him into an embrace that smelled like baby powder and hairspray and Trixie.

“Thank you, I’m so sorry, I’ll make it up to you,” Katya sighed, pulling back to look at him. But his friend wasn’t smiling like he was. Katya’s head tilted in confusion at the small tracing movements he could feel on his lower back by  one inch baby pink nails. Trixie’s head tilted the other way, his eyes slowly closing, and - -  OH

Katya leaned in to meet his lips and felt the exact moment his entire world flipped.

–

Trixie pulled him closer, refusing to break the kiss despite being light headed. He pushed Katya towards the wall, needing some stability in his six inch pumps and his six hours of nerves about this moment.

He both heard and felt Katya moan under him and used it to his advantage, kissing his way into the open mouth.

He loved licking the taste of cigarettes from Katya’s tongue. Whether it was because he was midwest trash, because he was borderline addicted to them as well, because he was crazy, or worst - because he was in love with him, Trixie didn’t know. He only knew how his tongue chased the taste. Hungrily, effortlessly, as if he had wanted to do it his whole life, as if he had been doing it his whole life, as if he was destined to do it for the rest of his life, their life. It was the last thought that made him suddenly pull back.

“Katya,” he huffed, placing his hands on the other man’s shoulders. He was fascinated at how much pink lipstick he saw on his face. He wondered how much red was on his own.

“No, no, please,” Katya murmured, his eyes never opening, leaning back in.

“Brian,” he softly shook the other’s shoulders and was met with piercing blue eyes that said more than Trixie herself was brave enough to say.

“I think you should go back to your room.” The shorter man’s shoulders fell. Trixie shook him again. “Stop. I’m not saying no to this. I just need some space to think.” He had a plan! And the plan definitely didn’t involve making out with Brian before they could have a serious talk about their feelings and treat this practically. He knew it would all fall apart if they weren’t smart about it.

“There’s so much spaaaace,” Katya parroted without thinking. They both chuckled softly.

“Seriously. Let’s take off this awful shit, and get some rest, and see each other tomorrow,” Trixie said gently. Katya nodded, clearly biting his tongue against a slew of words that Trixie knew all too well were close to falling out.

“I’m not mad,” Trixie placated, “I don’t think I am, at least. I need to think.” Katya nodded, still clamping his lips shut. He pulled his best friend into a hug, squeezed tight, and released him.

“When you jack off to that later, mama, please remember that you’re the one who started it,” Katya trilled as he shut the door behind him. He could hear Trixie’s laugh following him down the hall to his own room.

–

The door had barely slammed shut before the knife printed dress was on the floor, followed immediately by the wig and tights and bra and everything else that suddenly felt like it was suffocating him. He yanked the lashes off as he turned the shower on and glanced into the mirror. Yep, just as much pink was on his face as he had left red on Tracy’s.

The hot water was burning his skin but he turned it up higher because he wasn’t sure what else to do. He scrubbed until his skin was raw and then snapped the water off and sat down in the tub.

He had kissed him. Trixie had pulled Brian into her arms and had placed those overdrawn lips on his own and they had made out and it wasn’t for cameras or fans or fueled by alcohol on Trixie’s end. Brian had confessed his love for him for the, what was it, third? Fourth? time this month and they had fought and he didn’t lose him. He got a hot as fuck kiss and a promise that they’d talk later.

Brian stood slowly from the tub and, without drying off, rummaged through his suitcase for some shorts and a t-shirt. He threw a baseball cap on and grabbed his cigarettes, room key, and cell phone before slowly walking towards the exit of the hotel, skimming through his messages. He didn’t dare check twitter – his phone had blown up the last time he’d done one of his weird-ass-please-take-more-medication monologues. He stuck to What'sApp and saw that there were four messages from Alaska.

Hiiiieeeeee. Are you okay?

Shit, I meant, like how are you emotionally, not ya know, drug stuff.

This is about the Trixie speech tonight.

Obviously.

Brian cackled and shot a quick message back. “I’m okay, and I think I’m either really good, or really bad. I’ll let you know when I figure it out. Thanks for the concern, snake.”

The blip of the lighter was his favorite sound. He did it a few times more after he had lit the tip of his cigarette and taken his first, long drag. He sat for a few minutes against the brick wall before realizing what was missing. Usually, he called Trix on his post-show smoke break. He twirled his phone a few times, waiting for a response from Alaska to distract him, but nothing came.

“Fuck it,” he muttered, tapping in his passcode and pressing the phone icon.

“Um, hello?” Katya could hear the confusion in his voice when Trixie answered.

“I’m smoking and we usually talk while I’m out here, and I definitely don’t want to periscope,” he explained quickly, “Can we just pretend it’s normal for ten minutes?”

“Uh, yeah. Yeah, that’s okay,” Trixie said, sounding distracted, “How was your show?”

Katya’s laugh burst through his chest, “It was fine. Normal, nothing to write home about.” Trixie laughed as well.

“Okay, so this morning, I’m standing in line at the CVS and there’s this ancient, I mean literally historic lady is two people in front of me, and she’s got head to toe purple on. I mean, purple pumps, purple tinted tights, a fucking purple mini dress, a purple fur jacket, a fascinator that she had clearly dyed herself. I swear to god Katya, I saw Violet Chachki’s future. This bitch even had a little purple clutch so she could store her lottery tickets.”

“Oh mama, please tell me you took a picture of that to send to Violet,” Katya responded between the wheezing laughter.

“No, I’m a fucking idiot and didn’t think to because I was there trying to load up on Red Bull.” Trixie’s laughed died off. “Honestly it wasn’t at the CVS, it was at the airport.”

“Oh,” Katya nodded, taking another heavy drag. “Sorry I ruined your surprise, Barbara.”

“It happens,” Trixie sighed.

“It doesn’t, but thanks,” Katya said, “Why’d you come out anyway? I’m sure Toledo isn’t the most luxurious place to spend your days off.” Katya felt his heart hammering and he knew it wasn’t the fact that he had already lit her second cigarette.

“I uh,” Trixie groaned, and Katya could hear the bedding rustle underneath him, “I’m not sure.”

“You got on a plane to Ohio and you’re not sure why?” Katya responded without thinking, and then, “Sorry, I’m pushing. I push too much.”

“No, it’s okay, I like being pushed by you sometimes,” Trixie chuckled.

“Mother, I’m pushing my friends away again,” Katya intoned. An amicable silence followed their laughter, and Katya stubbed out his cigarette.

“So, um,” Trixie began, “Jason and I broke up.” Katya’s heart fell to his ass in one final beat. His friend had sought him out after being horribly dumped and devastated, and Katya had to ruin it all by making jokes that weren’t jokes at all about how he was in love with him, when all Trixie needed was someone to eat ice cream with and throw pillows at romantic movies on the television.

“Oh, honey,” Katya cooed, “I’m so sorry. What happened? Was it the travelling again? Why can’t you find someone who is okay with the travelling? A werewolf, maybe, you could travel during a full moon. I know you like them hairy.” Katya heard Trixie’s laugh both in the phone speaker and behind him. He turned to see a sweatpants and tank top clad Trixie walking towards him, phone pressed to his ear.

“I broke up with him,” Trixie had stopped walking, maybe fifty feet from where Katya was leaning. He sat up, and followed Trixie’s suit by keeping his phone to his ear.

“Why?” Katya breathed.

“He asked me if I’d rather be with you,” Trixie said, so quiet that Katya had to strain to hear it through the phone.

“Don’t,” Katya warned. He stuck his finger up, pausing Trixie, who had started to walk towards him. “Don’t.”

Trixie stopped. “I told him yes.”

Katya couldn’t hear anything, so he pocketed his phone. He sat back down, not trusting her legs.

“I came out here to see you,” Trixie called from where Katya had stopped him. Katya didn’t know if he meant Toledo or the sidewalk, but it didn’t matter anymore. He was there. Trixie had come to see him and he was there.

“Can I come closer?” Katya nodded slowly, eyes stuck to the ground.

“I need to talk and I need you to listen and then when that’s done, if you want to talk, you can. And I’ll try to listen. And then I am going to insist that we go back inside and make out until the sun comes up and we have to get back on a plane.” Trixie was stopped five feet in front of Katya. He could see his dorky brown moccasins, lined up with his own black flip flops. Katya nodded again, blipping the lighter with his thumb.

“I always thought it was a sex thing. Even after we were friends, I thought you only wanted to fuck me once or twice, like trade. I thought we were friends and you wanted to fuck me and that was it. And you know that’s not how I see sex, so I wasn’t into you like that. And then you started spewing your fucking mouth at your shows. Honestly, I was worried you were on something when I saw the first one. And I realized that maybe you didn’t just want to fuck me, but maybe you wanted to like, do all of the dumb shit I like too. And then I thought about how maybe I wanted that. And then I got really drunk and watched your speech on youtube in a private browser for an hour until Jason called me and I broke up with him because I don’t want that shit from him. The marriage and the house and the kids and the dumb dogs. I don’t even know if I want that from you, or like, at all anymore. I just want you, I think. I’d like to try just having you.”

When he was done, Trixie took a rattling breath that told Katya he was probably crying, but he still couldn’t look up from the ground.

“Do you know what I’m saying?” Trixie asked hesitantly. Katya stood up, stretched on his legs, and pocketed his cigarettes.

“My room or yours?” Katya asked, extending his hand. Trixie laughed so hard that he doubled over, slapping Katya’s hand away.

“You fucking bitch!” Trixie screamed, still giggling, “I take it all back, you fucking cunt.” Katya grabbed him around the waist and pulled him into his chest.

“No, you don’t,” Katya whispered into Trixie’s ear.

“I don’t,” Trixie agreed, leaning down to kiss him.

—

Trixie had an alarm set for seven am and it was already nearing on 2 am, but he had no intention of sleeping. Katya was on top of him and and both of their shirts were gone and he had his hands down the back of Katya’s shorts, squeezing his ass. The movement made him grind down onto Trixie’s mostly hard dick, which then made the man groan.

“Ugh, I totally have to pee, give me a minute,” Trixie said, tapping Katya lightly on the ass, “Get up.”

The blonde rolled his eyes and fell to the side. “Do you have an alarm set?” He called as Trixie padded out of the room.

“Yeah, for seven.”

“Fuck, I need six probably.” Katya pulled his phone from his pocket to see a slew of messages from Alaska.

That’s my job as queen, ya know. Worrying about my peasants.

I don’t know what that means? The being good or bad thing?

You haven’t let me know anything.

Okay I know this is the anxiety talking but pls let me know how you’re doing

I assume you’re getting trade but srsly shoot me a text before passing out with cum on your face

Katya laughed and pressed the video call button.

Alaska answered almost immediately.

“Waiting up for me again, mother?” Katya asked.

“No, I’m on fucking reddit for some reason. Can’t sleep. They’re obsessed with you right now,” Alaska drawled.

“Don’t fucking remind me,” Katya groaned. “I’m good, by the way. Things are good.”

“Did you talk to her yet? Is she mad? I know she was mad last time.” Alaska seemed so concerned, and it touched Katya’s heart to know they’d actually formed that close of a friendship.

“Yeah, we’ve talked a little tonight,” Katya said vaguely.

“Who?” Trixie asked as he opened the door from the bathroom.

“You and I,” Katya responded, spinning to face him, “We’ve talked a little.”

“What?” He looked between Katya’s face and Alaska’s on the screen. “You called Alaska?” Trixie placed his head on Katya’s bare shoulder and began nibbling at his ear.

“The bitch was having a panic attack about my well-being,” Katya sighed. Alaska’s jaw was dropped.

“I’ve been sitting here worrying about you relapsing and you’ve been balls deep in this bitch the whole time? I’m gonna kill you, you commie.”

“In his defense, we have not yet gotten to the balls deep part of the evening, but you’re welcome to stay on the air for that,” Trixie purred, smoothing his hands across Katya’s chest.

“You guys suck,” Alaska sighed.

“Each other, mother,” Katya responded without a beat.

“Gross, bye.” Alaska ended the call. Before Katya could put the phone down, there were little kissy faces and hearts being sent in messenger. He set the alarm he wanted, and silenced the phone. Trixie climbed on top of Katya and resumed their make out session.

“Can I be disgustingly gross?” Katya asked softly between kisses.

“Oh god,” Trixie groaned, “What?”

“I don’t want to fuck you tonight,” Katya whispered.

“I swear to god if you say I want to make love to you, I am leaving,” Trixie giggled.

“No, actually, I don’t want to have sex. I want to wait. Take you on a date. Make it special. You deserve special,” Katya continued to shower him with kisses.

“Um, that’s,” Trixie started. He was blushing, and tried to hide it in Katya’s neck. “That’s like, super gay. But so am I, so… cool.”

“I wish I would have made that decision before I got hard,” Katya laughed.

“I can help you with that,” Trixie whispered seductively, sliding down Katya’s body.

“I’m Roxxxy Andrews and I’m here to make it clear, I know you love me baby, that’s why you brought me here!” Trixie practically shouted at Katya’s dick.

“Was a bitch on season five, I’m here to make it right,” Katya joined in, sitting up.

“Not like my comedy I’m killing on this rhyme!” They finished together, clasping hands.

“God, I hate you,” Katya laughed, standing up to remove his shorts.

“Hate you more,” Trixie responded. They climbed under the covers. Katya hit the lights, and spooned up behind Trixie, their fingers interlocking.

–

At six o'clock, they both jumped at the blaring alarm from Katya’s phone.

“Nooo, fuck,” Trixie whined, “Nooooo.”

“What, what’s wrong?” Katya was on edge immediately, as he always was when he woke up.

“I was going to set an alarm after you fell asleep and make you get up early and go get breakfast with me. Then I was going to tell you it was a date and suck your dick before you went to the airport.” Trixie rolled into the pillow and sighed loudly.

“You little dick pig.” Katya smacked Trixie’s exposed ass and sat up. “C'mon, I only said six because I wanted to stay with you longer. I gotta get going soon. Are you coming with me or staying in bed?”

“I’ll come, but you’re paying for the uber,” Trixie groaned, hauling himself out of bed. He loved that he knew that Katya woke up wide awake and fell back to death within ten minutes of standing, just like Katya knew he woke up slowly but would remain alive without caffeine, if not just a little crabby.

He picked his belongings up and packed them in comfortable silence, trailing behind Katya as he did the same in his own room, the bed still untouched. They made it to the hotel lobby and located coffee before the uber arrived.

“I can’t believe you flew to fucking Toledo just to see me,” Katya whispered once they had buckled their seatbelts.

“It felt like I needed to,” Trixie shrugged.

“Glad you did,” Katya murmured against Trixie’s knuckles, kissing them.

[mcdouglecompany-blog]

Prager University, Venezuela Article, The Intellectual Dark Web, Being Tough, Discipline = Freedom, Alexandria Occasional Cortex.

Prager University, Venezuela Article, The Intellectual Dark Web, Being Tough, Discipline = Freedom, Alexandria Occasional Cortex.

Prager University- Why Don't You Support Israel?

Venezuela is putting the final nail in the socialism argument.

The Gad Father: Glenn interviews the OG of the 'Intellectual Dark Web'

Why You Need to be Tough

Discipline = Freedom

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Compares Climate Change to World War 2

Why Don't You Support Israel?

Watch this video at- https://youtu.be/tXy4NXbuE-k

PragerU

Israel is one of the most free and most prosperous countries in the world. Not only is Israel a booming economy and a wellspring of innovation, it is the only democracy in the Middle East. So why is it so controversial to support the Jewish state? Stephen Harper, the 22nd Prime Minister of Canada, lays out several fundamental truths about America’s most critical ally.

Script: When I was Prime Minister of Canada, I was often asked this question: “Why do you support Israel?” My response, in effect, was always the same: Why wouldn’t I support Israel? Why wouldn’t I support a fellow democratic nation where open elections, free speech, and religious tolerance are the everyday norm? Why wouldn’t I support a country with a vibrant free press and an independent judiciary? Why wouldn’t I support a valuable trading partner and a well-spring of amazing technological innovation? Why wouldn’t I support our most critical ally in the Middle East, and in the international struggle against terrorism? In a rational world, in a world where simple common sense prevailed, the question “why do you support Israel?” would be like asking “why do you support Australia?” or…”Canada?” But we don’t live in that rational, common-sense world. So the case for Israel has to be made over and over. I, for one, am happy to make it. Let me start with this: Every military action Israel has ever taken has been to protect itself. Israel is not an aggressor state; it’s a defensive state. This has been true from its founding to this day. As a fledgling nation in 1948, Israel was immediately attacked by its Arab neighbors. Their goal was not to contain the tiny new country; it was to annihilate it. No nation came to Israel’s aid—not the United States, not my country, Canada, not the United Kingdom—no one. They all thought Israel would lose. But it didn’t lose. It won. In 1967, Israel’s neighbors again sought to utterly destroy the Jewish State, a nation that had then existed for two decades. Again, Israel prevailed. And It survived another all-out attack in 1973. Those are the big wars, but I’m not sure there has been a single day in Israel’s entire history when some act of terror has not been waged against it—inside or outside its borders. There have been two bloody waves of terror, so-called intifadas, in the late 1980s and the early 2000s, when Israelis were blown up on buses, at pizza parlors and celebrating weddings. There have been incursions from terror groups like Hezbollah in Lebanon. There have been thousands of rocket attacks from Hamas in the Gaza Strip—even after Israel completely withdrew from that territory in 2005. In between the wars, in between the terror, Israel has sought peace with its neighbors. And it has achieved peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan. For others, however, every Israeli gesture for peace is met with incitement and violence. I recount this history for one reason: Any nation that has endured what Israel has endured could easily have become a police state. But through it all, Israel has never abandoned its commitment to the rule of law, to democracy, to tolerance. One-fifth of its citizens are Muslim. They enjoy the same rights as Jewish citizens. They occupy key positions in the nation’s courts, press and government. And they have their own parties representing them in the Knesset, Israel’s parliament. To say that Muslims in Israel are the freest Muslims in the region is an understatement. How about this as a human rights test: Prisoners in Israel, be they Jewish or Arab, are well-treated, well-fed, and have access to the best possible medical care. Parents and spouses of these prisoners know where they are and that they are safe. Who else in the region but Israel can make that claim? For the complete script, visit https://www.prageru.com/video/why-don...

Published on May 13, 2019

    Donate today to PragerU! http://l.prageru.com/2eB2p0h To view the script, sources, quiz, and study guides, visit https://www.prageru.com/video/why-don... VISIT PragerU! https://www.prageru.com Get PragerU bonus content for free! https://www.prageru.com/bonus-content Join Prager United to get new swag every quarter, exclusive early access to our videos, and an annual TownHall phone call with Dennis Prager! http://l.prageru.com/2c9n6ys Join PragerU's text list to have these videos, free merchandise giveaways and breaking announcements sent directly to your phone! https://optin.mobiniti.com/prageru Do you shop on Amazon? Click https://smile.amazon.com and a percentage of every Amazon purchase will be donated to PragerU. Same great products. Same low price. Shopping made meaningful. FOLLOW us! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/prageru Twitter: https://twitter.com/prageru Instagram: https://instagram.com/prageru/ PragerU is on Snapchat! JOIN PragerFORCE! For Students: http://l.prageru.com/2aozfkP JOIN our Educators Network! http://l.prageru.com/2aoz2y9

  Venezuela is putting the final nail in the socialism argument.

Watch this video at- https://youtu.be/pEZnPRwmQvQ

Glenn Beck

Published on Jun 4, 2019

Venezuela is the biggest disaster for any country since WWII not due to war. Now that's saying something. Watch this clip to hear about the latest developments in the devolving socialist utopia. ► Click HERE to subscribe to Glenn Beck https://bit.ly/2UVLqhL ►Click HERE to subscribe to BlazeTV: https://www.blazetv.com/glenn Connect with Glenn on Social Media: http://twitter.com/glennbeck http://instagram.com/glennbeck http://facebook.com/glennbeck

  https://youtu.be/h65H1jfEY4Q

Ann Coulter talks w/Lars Larson 5/29/19

Random Perfecta

Published on May 29, 2019

Ann Coulter talks w/Lars Larson 5/29/19

  https://youtu.be/s_x0HsCs04Y

The Gad Father: Glenn interviews the OG of the 'Intellectual Dark Web'

Glenn Beck

Premiered May 14, 2019

Before there was an 'Intellectual Dark Web' — there was Dr. Gad Saad. This is one conversation you don't want to miss! ► Click HERE to subscribe to Glenn Beck https://bit.ly/2UVLqhL ►Click HERE to subscribe to BlazeTV: https://www.blazetv.com/glenn Connect with Glenn on Social Media: http://twitter.com/glennbeck http://instagram.com/glennbeck http://facebook.com/glennbeck

    https://youtu.be/kjJhzb97h_o

Why You Need to be Tough

PragerU

Published on May 23, 2019

What happens when things don't go your way? This meltdown after the election of President Donald Trump shows exactly why, as Stephen Marmer explains, resilience is needed! Never miss a new video: https://www.prageru.com/join/

https://youtu.be/eBmVv2P-v2s

Discipline = Freedom

PragerU

Published on May 20, 2019

In this year’s 2019 PragerU Commencement Address, Navy Seal (Ret.) and best-selling author Jocko Willink offers some hard-learned, practical advice. It all starts with Discipline. That’s what will get you on the road to personal fulfillment and success – and keep you there. Watch and find out why.

Script: There are no shortcuts. There are no hacks. If you want to take the easy road, I promise you: it’s longer and more painful than the hard road. I know. I’ve lived it. I’ve ventured down the easy road at times in my life and it never led to anywhere good. The positive things in my life always came when I faced the biggest challenges. I joined the Navy. I took the hard road in the Navy and made it into the SEAL Teams. There, I had the honor of leading men in combat. I learned some lessons along the way, lessons that have been tested on the battlefield and, when implemented, lead to success in any arena. One of the best things I’ve learned is that anyone has what it takes to travel the hard road—to walk The Path that leads to success. That includes you. It won’t be easy. It will demand everything you’ve got to give. But you can do it, and I want to give you three key principles I’ve learned that will help you to get it done. Principle number one: Discipline. Equals. Freedom. That’s not a contradiction—it’s an equation. Discipline might appear to be the opposite of freedom. But, in fact, discipline is the path to freedom. Discipline is the driver of daily execution. Discipline defeats the infinite excuses that hold you back. Some people think motivation is what will compel them to get things done. But motivation is just an emotion—a feeling, and like all feelings, it’s fickle: it comes and goes. You can’t count on motivation to be there when you need to get through truly challenging times. But you can count on discipline. Discipline is something you dictate. Motivation won’t make you exercise every day; discipline will. Motivation won’t stay up late and finish a project for you; discipline will. Motivation isn’t going to get you out of bed in the morning; discipline will. Make discipline part of your daily life and your daily life will get better. Principle Number Two: Stay. Humble. In life, you are going to have to do things that you don’t want to do. Maybe things that you don’t think you should have to do—things that offend your precious ego. When I got done with Basic SEAL Training and reported on board SEAL Team One, you know what I was assigned to do? I was assigned to clean toilets. That’s right—despite having just graduated some of the most difficult military training in the world, despite being assigned to an “elite” commando unit—my first mission at the actual SEAL Team was to clean toilets. Not exactly a glorious job. But you know what? I did it. I did it to the best of my ability and took pride in doing it well. And that attitude got noticed: if I cared that much about how clean the toilets were, people knew I would do a good job with even more important assignments. After a short period of time, I got those more important assignments. But it was humility that opened the door for me. Now, being humble does not mean that you shouldn’t be confident. You certainly have to believe that you are a capable person. But don’t let confidence turn into arrogance. So keep your ego in check and stay humble. For the complete script, visit https://www.prageru.com/video/discipl...

  Donate today to PragerU! http://l.prageru.com/2eB2p0h To view the script, sources, quiz, and study guides, visit https://www.prageru.com/video/discipl... VISIT PragerU! https://www.prageru.com Get PragerU bonus content for free! https://www.prageru.com/bonus-content Join Prager United to get new swag every quarter, exclusive early access to our videos, and an annual TownHall phone call with Dennis Prager! http://l.prageru.com/2c9n6ys Join PragerU's text list to have these videos, free merchandise giveaways and breaking announcements sent directly to your phone! https://optin.mobiniti.com/prageru Do you shop on Amazon? Click https://smile.amazon.com and a percentage of every Amazon purchase will be donated to PragerU. Same great products. Same low price. Shopping made meaningful. FOLLOW us! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/prageru Twitter: https://twitter.com/prageru Instagram: https://instagram.com/prageru/ PragerU is on Snapchat! JOIN PragerFORCE! For Students: http://l.prageru.com/2aozfkP JOIN our Educators Network! http://l.prageru.com/2aoz2y9

    https://youtu.be/4FfNOh04uFQ

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Compares Climate Change to World War 2

PragerU

Published on May 14, 2019

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez claimed the world would end in 12 years because of climate change, then changed her claim. 97 percent of scientists agree: AOC should really think before speaking.

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[i-am-very-very-tired]

SCQ THE SCIENCE CREATIVE QUARTERLY WAITING TO INHALE: WHY IT HURTS TO HOLD YOUR BREATH by AIZITA MAGAÑA Quick! Take a breath and try to hold it. If you reach 11 minutes and 35 seconds, congratulations! You are now tied for the world record. For most of us the ability to hold our breath lasts 30 seconds, maybe even 1 or 2 minutes. Much longer than that and the sensation that your lungs are bursting becomes too painful to endure. Breathing of course is a reflex action; we do it more than 19,000 times a day automatically and without thinking. And while we can intentionally control the pace, rhythm and depth of our breath, the overall voluntary ability to override our own respiration is very limited. The air we inhale at sea level is 21 percent oxygen (02), 78 percent nitrogen (N) and .04 percent carbon dioxide (CO2). Technically, breathing and its purpose is the exchange of two of those gases, oxygen and carbon dioxide. Our inhalations bring oxygen into the lungs, which gets absorbed into the blood and carried throughout the body. The oxygen is used or made into the energy we need to break down food, maintain bodily functions and do all physical activity. What then remains becomes carbon dioxide or CO2, a waste product. This residual CO2 is carried back into your lungs by your circulating blood and released when you exhale. This process of course will continue for as long as you keep breathing but when you hold your breath, the carbon dioxide accumulates inside you with nowhere to go. When I was 22 years old I got caught in a riptide. I can vaguely remember spinning around in a salty washing machine of surf but vividly remember my feelings of panic, the dark cold of the water, and the claustrophobic tightening in my lungs. Over and again I slipped beneath the water holding my breath, surfacing momentarily to gasp. What I was afraid of was not getting more air but what I needed, at least initially, was to exhale excess carbon dioxide. When you hold your breath the ongoing accumulation of carbon dioxide in your cells, in your blood and lungs will eventually irritate and trigger impulses from the respiratory center part of your brain. Rising levels of carbon dioxide signal the body to breathe and ensure our unconscious and autonomous respiration. The body has the ability to detect these C02 levels with great accuracy and relies on them to regulate our respiration, so that we don’t have to. Beyond the burning in your lungs, the signals your body gets from your brain when your C02 levels are too high, include strong, painful, and involuntary contractions or spasms of the diaphragm and the muscles in between your ribs. At some point the spasms become so frequent and unbearable that you can no longer hold your breath. In an April 2008 episode of the “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” magician David Blaine attempted to break the Guinness Book of World Records for breath holding subsequent to inhaling pure oxygen. After inhaling pure oxygen for more than 20 minutes he submerged himself inside a bulbous tank, resembling a life-size snow globe filled with 1,800 gallons of water. He was able to hold his breath for seventeen minutes and 4 seconds and successfully broke the prior record by 32 seconds. “I thought I wasn’t going to make it” he said right afterwards. “At minute 12, I felt the pain coming, and by minute 14 it was overwhelming. This was a whole other level of pain. I still feel as if somebody hit me in the stomach with the hardest punch they could.” The point of which the amount of CO2 that has accumulated in the body causes you pain is sometimes called the critical line and that line is different in all of us. The line however can be pushed back. Hyperventilation where you breathe in and out abnormally fast, can artificially rid the body of carbon dioxide and delay the critical line. While this may appear to be a good idea if you want to hold your breath longer it can also be dangerous. Some divers who on a single breath, and without any breathing apparatus go to depths from 30 to more than 200 feet, have been known to use hyperventilation to delay the urge to breathe which allows them to stay underwater for longer periods of time. Without a strong bodily sensation to breathe- without the lungs feeling like they will burst or the diaphragm spasming, a diver may stay under too long and then have to make it back to the surface without sufficient air. As one diver explains it, when you hyperventilate, “You override your brain’s message telling you when to breathe. You’re running on your reserve tank and there’s no warning before you hit empty.” Empty of course means out of air and as a result of their body and brain being starved of oxygen, these divers sometimes lose consciousness. Called a shallow water blackout, losing consciousness can happen underwater but due to changes in pressure almost always occurs right as a diver reaches the surface. If they don’t immediately regain consciousness and aren’t rescued, they will inhale and then drown. Many of these divers are incorrectly assumed to have died at depth, but most often after inhaling water at or near the surface, they drift slowly down and are found not floating, but at the bottom. I often remind myself to take long and deep breaths, and obsess at times about getting cleaner, fresher air or just enough of it. It’s important however to remember that our inhalations of oxygen are only as good as our exhalations of carbon dioxide. A teacher of breathing Carla Melucci Ardito said “Learn how to exhale and the inhale will take care of itself.” Fran Lebowitz the famous, Jewish American commentator once said, “The opposite of talking isn’t listening, it’s waiting.” As it turns out the opposite of holding your breath isn’t inhaling, it’s letting go. 03.28.2012 – archive / textbook Post navigation LATEST A BIOCHEMIST’S BOOKLIST TRUMPIAN SCIENCE: A SHORT GUIDE AN INTERVENTION LETTER TO BRAD, A DEADPOOL FAN VOYAGE OF THE BEAGLE (DARWIN!) PHYLO DECK IS NOW AVAILABLE. THE HOLIDAYS ARE NOT REALLY ABOUT SCIENCE A BRIEF GUIDE TO COMBATTING MASS SURVEILLANCE MUTATIONS IN THE SEED REGION OF WIZARD mIR-96 ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR HEREDITARY PARSELTONGUE HYPERACUSIS ARCHIVES ARCHIVES PROCRASTINATE! CELL BIOLOGY VIA SEVENTEEN-SYLLABLES: LESSONS THROUGH HAIKUS HOW TO BREW BEER IN A COFFEE MAKER, USING ONLY MATERIALS COMMONLY FOUND ON A MODESTLY SIZED OCEANOGRAPHIC RESEARCH VESSEL A DIALOGUE WITH SARAH, AGED 3: IN WHICH IT IS SHOWN THAT IF YOUR DAD IS A CHEMISTRY PROFESSOR, ASKING “WHY” CAN BE DANGEROUS OTHER POSSIBLE CAUSES OF GLOBAL WARMING: A LITERATURE REVIEW UP OR DOWN? AN EFFICIENCY-BASED ARGUMENT FOR OPTIMAL TOILET SEAT PLACEMENT HOW TO FLY THE MURPHY’S LAW EQUATION COOL STUFF APCMsmall Our print journal is now available for purchase. Now with 50% Wookie science! link AQTsmall For the non-scientist hipster who wants to look like a hipster that understands quantum thermodynamics. A collection of the SCQ's editors published science humour and creative non-fiction works. 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[frmartinshomiliesandreflections]

8th April >> Fr. Martin's Reflection on Today's Gospel Reading (John 11:45-56) for Saturday, Fifth Week of Lent: ‘From that day they were determined to kill him’.

Saturday, Fifth Week of Lent

Gospel (Europe, New Zealand, Australia, Canada & Southern Africa)

John 11:45-56

Many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary and had seen what Jesus did believed in him, but some of them went to tell the Pharisees what Jesus had done. Then the chief priests and Pharisees called a meeting. ‘Here is this man working all these signs’ they said ‘and what action are we taking? If we let him go on in this way everybody will believe in him, and the Romans will come and destroy the Holy Place and our nation.’ One of them, Caiaphas, the high priest that year, said, ‘You do not seem to have grasped the situation at all; you fail to see that it is better for one man to die for the people, than for the whole nation to be destroyed.’ He did not speak in his own person, it was as high priest that he made this prophecy that Jesus was to die for the nation – and not for the nation only, but to gather together in unity the scattered children of God. From that day they were determined to kill him. So Jesus no longer went about openly among the Jews, but left the district for a town called Ephraim, in the country bordering on the desert, and stayed there with his disciples.

   The Jewish Passover drew near, and many of the country people who had gone up to Jerusalem to purify themselves looked out for Jesus, saying to one another as they stood about in the Temple, ‘What do you think? Will he come to the festival or not?’

Gospel (USA)

John 11:45-56

To gather together in unity the scattered children of God.

Many of the Jews who had come to Mary and seen what Jesus had done began to believe in him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. So the chief priests and the Pharisees convened the Sanhedrin and said, “What are we going to do? This man is performing many signs. If we leave him alone, all will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our land and our nation.” But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing, nor do you consider that it is better for you that one man should die instead of the people, so that the whole nation may not perish.” He did not say this on his own, but since he was high priest for that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, and not only for the nation, but also to gather into one the dispersed children of God. So from that day on they planned to kill him.

   So Jesus no longer walked about in public among the Jews, but he left for the region near the desert, to a town called Ephraim, and there he remained with his disciples.

   Now the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went up from the country to Jerusalem before Passover to purify themselves. They looked for Jesus and said to one another as they were in the temple area, “What do you think? That he will not come to the feast?”

Reflections (3)

(i) Saturday, Fifth Week of Lent

At the end of this morning’s gospel reading, a decision is made by the Jewish authorities to put Jesus to death. He was considered a threat to the status quo, from which the authorities benefited. In every age and culture, those who are perceived to be disturbing the way things have always been are silenced in one way or another. Jesus was disturbing the status quo just by being true to his deepest calling from God. He came to bring God’s life to the world. He had just raised Lazarus from the dead and brought joy to a grieving family. It was this liberating, life-giving work that was perceived as threatening. It was because Jesus came as the Life-Giver that he was put to death. In giving life to people like Lazarus, Jesus lost his own life. Yet, the further paradox was that in losing his life, in having his life taken from him, Jesus continued his life-giving work. Jesus was the Life-Giver on the cross, as much as when he walked the paths of Galilee and the streets of Jerusalem. In this morning’s gospel reading, the evangelist declares that Jesus’ dying had a gathering effect. He died ‘to gather together in unity the scattered children of God’. Jesus’ death was an even fuller revelation of God’s life-giving love for the world, than his life had been. God’s love pouring from the broken body of Jesus drew people to Jesus and gathered them together around him. This is one of the ways his death was life-giving for others. That is why we call the Friday on which Jesus was crucified Good Friday and why we venerate the wood of the cross on that day, rather than simply grieving over it.

And/Or

(ii) Saturday, Fifth Week of Lent

Pragmatism is a quality that is often admired in political leaders. In this morning’s gospel reading we have an example of a rather deadly form of political pragmatism. Caiaphas, the high priest, declares to his fellow religious leaders, ‘it is better for one man to die for the people, than for the whole nation to be destroyed’. Jesus was threatening the status quo, therefore he should be eliminated. This particular individual is expendable for the sake of the nation as a whole. That outlook of considering one individual as expendable for the sake of the perceived good of the majority is not unique to the time and place of Jesus; it has always been around and is still around. It is the opposite to the outlook of Jesus. For Jesus the individual was everything. Jesus is the good shepherd who calls his own by name; he called Lazarus from the tomb by name; he called Zacchaeus down from his tree by name; he called Mary Magdalene outside the empty tomb by name. The individual was of infinite value to Jesus. The Lord calls each of us by name; we are each precious in his sight. He also wants us to call on him by name, just as the good thief did on the cross, when he prayed, ‘Jesus, remember me’.

And/Or

(iii) Saturday, Fifth Week of Lent

This evening we begin Holy Week, a time when we reflect on the last week of Jesus’ life, beginning with his entry into the city of Jerusalem. In the gospel reading we have just read, a formal decision is taken by the Jewish authorities to have Jesus put to death. As a result, according to our reading, ‘from that day they were determined to kill him’. The gospel we have just read immediately follows the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. It was this life-giving action of Jesus that sealed his fate, according to John’s gospel. It was because he gave life to others, in various ways, that he was put to death. Yet, without their being aware of it, those who were responsible for putting Jesus to death enabled him to continue his life-giving work in an even more powerful way. In the words of our gospel reading this morning, Jesus died ‘to gather together in unity the scattered children of God’. In and through his death Jesus was able to reveal God’s life-giving love more fully and more powerfully, and, in so doing, to gather people together around the cross, because they recognize it as the revelation of God’s unconditional love. This coming Holy Week, we are invited to allow ourselves to be gathered together around the cross in response to the Lord’s great love that flows from the cross and embraces us all.

Fr Martin Hogan, Saint John the Baptist Parish, Clontarf, Dublin, D03 AO62, Ireland.

Parish Website: www.stjohnsclontarf.ieJoinus via our webcam.

Twitter: @SJtBClontarfRC.

Facebook: St John the Baptist RC Parish, Clontarf.

Tumblr: Saint John the Baptist Parish, Clontarf, Dublin.

[romancatholicreflections]

8th April >> Fr. Martin’s Reflection on Today’s Gospel Reading (John 11:45-56) for Saturday, Fifth Week of Lent: ‘From that day they were determined to kill him’.

Saturday, Fifth Week of Lent Gospel (Europe, New Zealand, Australia, Canada & Southern Africa) John 11:45-56 Many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary and had seen what Jesus did believed in him, but some of them went to tell the Pharisees what Jesus had done. Then the chief priests and Pharisees called a meeting. ‘Here is this man working all these signs’ they said ‘and what action are we taking? If we let him go on in this way everybody will believe in him, and the Romans will come and destroy the Holy Place and our nation.’ One of them, Caiaphas, the high priest that year, said, ‘You do not seem to have grasped the situation at all; you fail to see that it is better for one man to die for the people, than for the whole nation to be destroyed.’ He did not speak in his own person, it was as high priest that he made this prophecy that Jesus was to die for the nation – and not for the nation only, but to gather together in unity the scattered children of God. From that day they were determined to kill him. So Jesus no longer went about openly among the Jews, but left the district for a town called Ephraim, in the country bordering on the desert, and stayed there with his disciples. The Jewish Passover drew near, and many of the country people who had gone up to Jerusalem to purify themselves looked out for Jesus, saying to one another as they stood about in the Temple, ‘What do you think? Will he come to the festival or not?’ Gospel (USA) John 11:45-56 To gather together in unity the scattered children of God. Many of the Jews who had come to Mary and seen what Jesus had done began to believe in him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. So the chief priests and the Pharisees convened the Sanhedrin and said, “What are we going to do? This man is performing many signs. If we leave him alone, all will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our land and our nation.” But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing, nor do you consider that it is better for you that one man should die instead of the people, so that the whole nation may not perish.” He did not say this on his own, but since he was high priest for that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, and not only for the nation, but also to gather into one the dispersed children of God. So from that day on they planned to kill him. So Jesus no longer walked about in public among the Jews, but he left for the region near the desert, to a town called Ephraim, and there he remained with his disciples. Now the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went up from the country to Jerusalem before Passover to purify themselves. They looked for Jesus and said to one another as they were in the temple area, “What do you think? That he will not come to the feast?” Reflections (3) (i) Saturday, Fifth Week of Lent At the end of this morning’s gospel reading, a decision is made by the Jewish authorities to put Jesus to death. He was considered a threat to the status quo, from which the authorities benefited. In every age and culture, those who are perceived to be disturbing the way things have always been are silenced in one way or another. Jesus was disturbing the status quo just by being true to his deepest calling from God. He came to bring God’s life to the world. He had just raised Lazarus from the dead and brought joy to a grieving family. It was this liberating, life-giving work that was perceived as threatening. It was because Jesus came as the Life-Giver that he was put to death. In giving life to people like Lazarus, Jesus lost his own life. Yet, the further paradox was that in losing his life, in having his life taken from him, Jesus continued his life-giving work. Jesus was the Life-Giver on the cross, as much as when he walked the paths of Galilee and the streets of Jerusalem. In this morning’s gospel reading, the evangelist declares that Jesus’ dying had a gathering effect. He died ‘to gather together in unity the scattered children of God’. Jesus’ death was an even fuller revelation of God’s life-giving love for the world, than his life had been. God’s love pouring from the broken body of Jesus drew people to Jesus and gathered them together around him. This is one of the ways his death was life-giving for others. That is why we call the Friday on which Jesus was crucified Good Friday and why we venerate the wood of the cross on that day, rather than simply grieving over it. And/Or (ii) Saturday, Fifth Week of Lent Pragmatism is a quality that is often admired in political leaders. In this morning’s gospel reading we have an example of a rather deadly form of political pragmatism. Caiaphas, the high priest, declares to his fellow religious leaders, ‘it is better for one man to die for the people, than for the whole nation to be destroyed’. Jesus was threatening the status quo, therefore he should be eliminated. This particular individual is expendable for the sake of the nation as a whole. That outlook of considering one individual as expendable for the sake of the perceived good of the majority is not unique to the time and place of Jesus; it has always been around and is still around. It is the opposite to the outlook of Jesus. For Jesus the individual was everything. Jesus is the good shepherd who calls his own by name; he called Lazarus from the tomb by name; he called Zacchaeus down from his tree by name; he called Mary Magdalene outside the empty tomb by name. The individual was of infinite value to Jesus. The Lord calls each of us by name; we are each precious in his sight. He also wants us to call on him by name, just as the good thief did on the cross, when he prayed, ‘Jesus, remember me’. And/Or (iii) Saturday, Fifth Week of Lent This evening we begin Holy Week, a time when we reflect on the last week of Jesus’ life, beginning with his entry into the city of Jerusalem. In the gospel reading we have just read, a formal decision is taken by the Jewish authorities to have Jesus put to death. As a result, according to our reading, ‘from that day they were determined to kill him’. The gospel we have just read immediately follows the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. It was this life-giving action of Jesus that sealed his fate, according to John’s gospel. It was because he gave life to others, in various ways, that he was put to death. Yet, without their being aware of it, those who were responsible for putting Jesus to death enabled him to continue his life-giving work in an even more powerful way. In the words of our gospel reading this morning, Jesus died ‘to gather together in unity the scattered children of God’. In and through his death Jesus was able to reveal God’s life-giving love more fully and more powerfully, and, in so doing, to gather people together around the cross, because they recognize it as the revelation of God’s unconditional love. This coming Holy Week, we are invited to allow ourselves to be gathered together around the cross in response to the Lord’s great love that flows from the cross and embraces us all. Fr Martin Hogan, Saint John the Baptist Parish, Clontarf, Dublin, D03 AO62, Ireland. Parish Website: www.stjohnsclontarf.ieJoinus via our webcam. Twitter: @SJtBClontarfRC. Facebook: St John the Baptist RC Parish, Clontarf. Tumblr: Saint John the Baptist Parish, Clontarf, Dublin.