Links 2/5/2025

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1. The Rev Kev February 5, 2025 at 7:16 am

   “Israel ranked as most destabilizing country according to Global National Brands Index”

   A $100 million rebranding campaign to reverse negative perceptions of Israel? Good luck with that one. We have seen what Israel is about the past year and a half and seen how proud they are with what they have done. They can polish it all they want but that is one turd that will never shine.

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2. Henry Moon Pie February 5, 2025 at 7:22 am

   I Feel Like I’m Fixin’ to Die Rag (21st century version)

   Well come on all of you big strong men, Uncle Don needs your help again.
   Bibi’s the boss, and that’s just fine. It’s time to head over to Palestine.
   Put down your phone and pick up a gun, we’re gonna have a whole lotta fun.

   [CHORUS]
   And it’s 1,2,3, who are we fightin for?
   Don’t ask me. I don’t know the facts, but they all say it’s for AIPAC.
   And it’s 5,6,7, good-bye Make AMERICA Great. Well there ain’t no time to wonder why. Whoopee! We’re all gonna die.

   Now come on Wall Street, don’t be slow. Why man, this war’s a-go-go.
   There’s plenty good money to be made, supplyin’ the army with the tools of the trade.
   And when it’s all done and Jared has title, we can blame it all on a book called the Bible.

   [CHORUS]

   Now come on generals, let’s move fast. Your big chance is here at last.
   You go out and kill a raghead ’cause the only good Muslim is one that’s dead.
   You know that peace can only be won, when you blow ’em all to kingdom come.

   [CHORUS]

   Now come on mothers, won’t you lend a hand and pack your boys off to Gazaland?
   Come on fathers don’t hesitate. Send your sons off before its too late.
   Be the first one on your block, to have your boy come home in a box.

   [CHORUS]

   Country Joe McDonald and the Fish live at Woodstock

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   1. mrsyk February 5, 2025 at 8:35 am

      Give me a “F”…. Lol, thanks. I wore that record out in my “short pants” days.

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   2. Mark Gisleson February 5, 2025 at 8:50 am

      I would let loose a Fish cheer but I don’t think it would get past the censors so instead I’m cuing up Sweet Lorraine in appreciation of this rag from the countercultural hymnal.

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   3. Kevin Smith February 5, 2025 at 9:15 am

      Outstanding! Best ever.

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3. Zagonostra February 5, 2025 at 7:22 am

   >A few points for the left Julia Steinberger

   From concluding paragraph:

   Moving forward here requires more than courage: it requires faith… It looks like my colleagues and myself, inspired by the student anti-genocide movement, forming an interdisciplinary collective for academic freedom, democracy and solidarity, a necessary step in making our role of public intellectuals more autonomous and secure…The only option we have is to put forward our friendship, work, love and humanity, in the form of brave and revolutionary organisations and ideas.

   The language is so larded, stilted, and aspirational that it is no wonder there is no viable “left.” From an old lefty, I see nothing on the horizon that can challenge what many sees as an emerging fascist tendency that will be capped off by CBDC’s. It’s sad because I share/agree with most of the observations/commentary the author makes.

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   1. Terry Flynn February 5, 2025 at 7:42 am

      Agree entirely though I’d be ruder: “all mouth and no trousers”.

      These morons are (when based in UK) always Guardian type Islingtonistas. None has any experience of living in the red wall….. just like the moronic PMC Democrats in USA who don’t understand flyover states.

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4. Zagonostra February 5, 2025 at 7:34 am

   >Trump Goes All-In On Stealing Gaza For His Zionist Owners Caitlin Johnstone

   Opening sentence:

   Grinning like the cat that ate the canary, Hague fugitive Benjamin Netanyahu sat beside Donald Trump as the US president unequivocally told the press on Tuesday that the plan for Gaza is to permanently remove all Palestinians from the enclave.

   By now most people have seen the video clip of Trump pulling out a chair for Netanyahu to sit before he took his own seat. Netanyahu was wearing a red tie, which is usually Trump’s preferred colour. Twitter/X is buzzing with post on the subservice/sell-out of Trump to Zionist. I don’t know what the reaction of seeing this is for most people that have been following the Israeli genocide funded by U.S. taxpayers since Oct 7 and earlier. For me it feels defeat, a sense of despair, a deepen awareness that the gov’t, at least the on the federal level, is completely captured/compromised.

   What tis there to do, when both parties are part of the same cult/cabal that is in control and there is no organizing, coherent opposition? It feels like I’m just waiting for the big crackup…

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   1. Wukchumni February 5, 2025 at 8:39 am

      I heard that Club Meddle is in the early stages of development, and breakfast by the beach will run 30 Shekels.

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      1. ambrit February 5, 2025 at 9:00 am

         Thirty Shekels of silver?
         Where was that floating dock tried? Let’s call that spot Judas Beach.

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         1. vao February 5, 2025 at 9:06 am

            I think that the shekel was a silver coinage (at least in the Antiquity), so that a “shekel of silver” would be a pleonasm (just like saying a drachma of silver, or a denarius of silver).

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            1. Wukchumni February 5, 2025 at 9:12 am

               The supposed 30 Shekels were from Tyre, the reverse bears an awful lot of resemblance to American $10 gold coins dated from 1907 to 1933, for those of you playing along at home.

               https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyrian_shekel

               https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Head_eagle

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         2. Wukchumni February 5, 2025 at 9:06 am

            With any kind of luck, Jared’s grandiose scheme for Gaza will be built out just as time and tide take over operations.

            ‘Come scuba dive in titanic splendor!’

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   2. Mikel February 5, 2025 at 8:43 am

      He’s earning his Zion Don moniker like Biden earned Genocide Joe.

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   3. Mikel February 5, 2025 at 8:47 am

      It was such BS…talking about development and housing in the area, but then saying, “But the Gazans don’t want any of that. So we’re moving them.”

      WTF?

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      1. The Rev Kev February 5, 2025 at 8:52 am

         Best part was when Trump was talking about how they were living in ruins and were being tired of being shot but not once did he mention who destroyed all those building and who was shooting all those Palestinians. And of course the media was too gutless to point this out.

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      2. mrsyk February 5, 2025 at 8:56 am

         Begs the question “what do Gaza’s want?”, maybe someone should ask them.

         And the parting on the left
         Is now parting on the right

         Yeeaaahhhhhhh!!!!!!!

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         1. Wukchumni February 5, 2025 at 9:02 am

            Trump utilizing ChatGGP has been interesting, Greenland, Gaza and Panama.

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   4. mrsyk February 5, 2025 at 8:50 am

      I’m going with despair. If you’re thinking multi-dimensional chess, sorry.
      HHS’ Civil Rights Office Acts Swiftly to Combat Anti-Semitism, US Dept of Health and Human Services.
      In alignment with President Trump’s Executive Order on Additional Measures to Combat Anti-Semitism, and as part of the task force announced by the U.S. Department of Justice today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is announcing the initiation of compliance reviews for four medical schools following reports of antisemitic incidents during their 2024 commencement ceremonies., “reports”, uh huh.

      ‘Free speech’ on the line in feds PSU antisemitism probe, extremism expert says, KOIN Chanel 6 News
      A spokesperson for PSU said the school would fully cooperate with the investigation. They also said they continue to support and engage with “efforts to combat antisemitism and mitigate the impact of hate and bias.” However, they also claimed the U.S. Department of Education’s “directed investigation” was “not based on a specific complaint from an individual, but instead is prompted by the new administration. The notice of investigation is not in itself evidence of any violation.”, hmm, not ‘specific’ reports.

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5. timbers February 5, 2025 at 7:40 am

   USPS temporarily suspends accepting packages from China and Hong Kong CBS News **** Lots of things you need intermittently come from China via USPS on Ebay at super cheap prices – smart phone jackets, coaxial cable slicers so you can link internet cables, lithium batteries for car keys or garage door remotes. This small gadget list is endless and retail prices absent this market are very much higher. It makes you wonder: So who ends up paying the price for Trumps trade wars?

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   1. Wukchumni February 5, 2025 at 7:56 am

      Its certainly worth noting that Ponzi’s scheme was based on the arbitrage possibilities between international postal rates.

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6. Mikel February 5, 2025 at 7:46 am

   Organized Abandonment – Sarah Jaffe

   Resilence vs resistance

   It’s refreshing to hear somebody writing about how people that want to stay in a community matter. A sense of place MATTERS and shouldn’t be described as a perverse nationalism.

   As a matter of fact, sense of place and local community is so important to resistance, it’s no wonder globalists prefer to keep people shuffling around. And even to keep the policy focus on those who move around as if they were the only ones who mattered.

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   1. Henry Moon Pie February 5, 2025 at 7:49 am

      Some good points in that article. I wonder if it will give pause to the folks at Resilience.org.

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   2. Terry Flynn February 5, 2025 at 8:06 am

      Starmer is losing control. It is not necessarily for the right reasons (the right wing press is really gunning for him) but he really can’t read the room.

      Nobody here is interested in Israel and most want a more just solution. However everyone round here wants Nottingham to no longer be Shottingham and wants real public health reform….. which we are not seeing thanks to a totally idiotic economic policy by our Labour govt.

      When my mum trolls our Labour MP on faceborg then they should know theyre in trouble….

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   3. JohnnyGL February 5, 2025 at 8:26 am

      Good stuff, I wish we could stop talking about ‘freedom of movement’ and more about the freedom to stay in place.

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      1. Mikel February 5, 2025 at 8:33 am

         The “elites” know about the glories of being able to stay in place – if they choose.
         They give their properties grand names…like “Saltburn”. (couldn’t resist the dig)

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   4. Lina February 5, 2025 at 8:55 am

      I liked this article. Corporate America is big on ‘resilience ” and this article helped me get in touch with what this feeling I’ve had about it being not quite right means….

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7. Henry Moon Pie February 5, 2025 at 7:48 am

   In an increasingly chaotic world, I’m thankful for one thing we can depend on year in and year out: the Chiefs are in the Super Bowl. :D

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   1. mrsyk February 5, 2025 at 9:04 am

      Chiefs, the Patriots of the 20s! (scuttles behind farm cat offensive line, pun intended, heh heh)

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   2. Wukchumni February 5, 2025 at 9:17 am

      As if we made men & women in the Bills Mafia can’t depend on the team to disappoint us year in and year out, ha ha.

      I’m pulling for KC, mainly out of concern for Philly should they win the Superbowl and the locals tear the city apart in a wild celebration.

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      1. mrsyk February 5, 2025 at 9:37 am

         That las part is baked in, win, lose, or draw.
         Philly, the town that booed Santa Claus.

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8. The Rev Kev February 5, 2025 at 7:50 am

   “Trump Says To Reinstate ‘Maximum Pressure’ On Iran”

   In one way, Iran owes Trump a debt of gratitude by cancelling the nuke deal as soon as he took office. If he had not, then Iran’s airlines would probably consist of Boeing aircraft so that is one bullet dodge on Iran’s part. Hard to say what sort of deal that Trump wants with Iran. How are they supposed to trust in any agreements that Trump as he is just as likely as not to cancel the whole thing on a whim or a phone call from Netanyahu. He could have a deal where Iran could export more oil which would bring down the price of oil which Trump could count as a win. In return, Iran could scale back their nuclear activities but they did that before and were betrayed. Maybe Trump will demand that Iran get out of BRICS or kick the Russians out of Iran with all their radar systems and anti-air missiles batteries. Early days of negotiation yet.

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9. Vikas February 5, 2025 at 7:53 am

   2 degrees = sea level rise > 30 feet, though not as a “pulse” a la Kim Stanley Robinson’s New York 2140, but over many decades and centuries. Any descendants we have will curse us
   

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   1. Wukchumni February 5, 2025 at 8:23 am

      IBI-YBI

      I’ll be inundated-you’ll be inundated

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      1. ambrit February 5, 2025 at 8:46 am

         So, instead of the “Younger Dryas Catastrophe,” we will have the “Younger Wet A– Catastrophe?”

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         1. mrsyk February 5, 2025 at 9:11 am

            IDK, my view on sea level rise is “rinse cycle”, sort of like taking the garden hose to the windshield to remove all the dead bugs.
            Black hole sun
            Won’t you come
            And wash away the rain
            Chris Cornell

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            1. mrsyk February 5, 2025 at 9:26 am

               And, since my black heart is in full control today, anybody else remember Sam Carana warning us that we look to have entered the period of runaway increasing temperatures?
               From Dec 11, Did a Terminal Temperature Acceleration Event start in December 2024?, Arctic News. This graph was much Pooh pooh-ed here at the time, but here, scroll down a bit, with data up to Jan 26, that curve begins to firm.
               Good times!

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   2. ambrit February 5, 2025 at 8:44 am

      The range of ideas concerning sea level rise timing is wide.
      Look up “Catastrophism” as an organizing principle. There has been a steady, if hidden contest between the Catastrophists and the Steady Staters over the timing of global ecology associated “changes.”
      It is not “settled science.” No real “science” really is ever “settled.” That’s what continuing data collection and analysis is all about. Nothing is truly static.
      The above ties in neatly with present day “Health Authorities” curtailing data collection and publication of Pandemic related information. It’s a form of Magical Thinking. Either “they” think that putting your fingers in your ears makes the unwanted sound actually go away, or, more sinisterly, making the data ‘disappear’ blinds the public to the true dangers looming on the collective horizon.
      In the bigger picture, the rate of sea level rise is but another aspect of the now beginning Jackpot.
      Stay safe. Learn the backstroke.

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   3. ajc February 5, 2025 at 8:44 am

      The idea that this will be gradual and linear is not supported by the fossil and geologic evidence of past melting events (drowned corals in the Gulf of Mexico being the primary one I’m thinking)

      It will be gradual, then a pulse, gradual, then a pulse, over and over again. Nature is not a linear system. It’s quite possible big chunks of glaciers will slide off into the oceans (and the probability only increases as more heat is added to the system), and the displacement the ice causes will rapidly flood coastal areas in a handful of years, if not more quickly, as well as drowning corals and all other kinds of unpredicted havoc.

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10. VTDigger February 5, 2025 at 7:53 am

    There are many morons at 18F. I was once asked during the Biden administration by a young man from 18F how they should hire. I foolishly replied “Pick the person with the best references who shows they can do the work.”

    Wrong! said the young, white man. Wrong!! You pick them based on the number and type of disadvantages they have had to overcome. This sentiment was repeated by many on that team.

    Musk’s boy is probably not a moron, but spouting moronic nonsense about “AI” to cover getting rid of them.

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    1. t February 5, 2025 at 9:23 am

       References? You mean the outsourced toll free number that confirms dates of employment? Or do you mean wealthy and well-connected relatives who make calls on candidates behalf?

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11. Mikel February 5, 2025 at 8:05 am

    US tech CEOs admit they want AI monopoly & ‘unipolar world’, blocking China’s competition – Geopolitical Economy

    “Thiel insisted that US tech companies should “look to build a monopoly”, because, as he put it, “Monopoly is the condition of every successful business”.

    Tech companies (plural) wouldn’t build a monopoly. That would be a cartel, Mr. Vampire.

    And there a different ideas about what makes a “successful” business. And that’s not for Mr. Vampire to decide.

    Geez…these are the worst kind of people.

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12. The Rev Kev February 5, 2025 at 8:07 am

    “Krynky: Very British Military Cataclysm’

    Maybe this was the British trying to impress their American counterparts with this series of assaults to show that they were ‘worthy’ or something. I remember seeing video clips of Krynky at the time and it was just one group of Ukrainian Marines getting the chop after the other. There was no weight behind their assaults due to the nightmare conditions of all that water and mud so the Russians were just picking them off as they attempted to land. It was a slaughter and I could not understand why they did not write the whole campaign off. I guess that this was London wanting to save face or something.

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13. Wukchumni February 5, 2025 at 8:10 am

    US Air Force builds $80M F-35A for just $6M by merging parts from two crashed jets Interesting Engineering
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    A crash course in MIC economics: an F-35A with a salvage title was only $166 million!

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    1. The Rev Kev February 5, 2025 at 8:37 am

       If enough F-35s crash and are rebuilt into fewer jets, will that make them cheaper then on the whole?

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       1. ambrit February 5, 2025 at 8:51 am

          I believe that this is an example of the “Crashed Costs Fallacy.”

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          1. The Rev Kev February 5, 2025 at 8:55 am

             If an F-35 was constantly having its parts replaced and renewed over the next coupla decades, would we end up with the F-35 of Theseus?

             https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_of_Theseus

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14. Mikel February 5, 2025 at 8:21 am

    Syria’s al-Sharaa says elections could take up to five years – Al Arabiya

    Again, since the last land grab in Syria, how far away are Israeli soldiers and settlers from Damascus?
    That should give them more than enough time to arrive.

    And Turkey from the other side.

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    1. ChrisFromGA February 5, 2025 at 9:10 am

       How are you liking the new, “Free” Syria? So free that it doesn’t even need elections.

       And Israel and Turkey carve it up, just like, well, a turkey.

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15. Andrew A. Zimin February 5, 2025 at 8:40 am

    Russia Versus Outlaw US Empire: Staying With The Plan Versus Repurposing
    karlof1’s
    Geopolitical Gymnasium

    LOL

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16. The Rev Kev February 5, 2025 at 8:45 am

    “Trump says it will be fine to put American criminals in prisons in another nation”

    So what happens with those families that have a loved one in jail in another country? What about legal representation in that country? Will there be US courts set up in those prisons to do some cases or will it all be done on Zoom or something. People in US prisons always get the short end of the stick whether it be cheap prison labour or cheap Californian firefighters. Saw a doco about Con Air once and it showed these prisoners from Alaska who had been sent to Arizona by Con Air as Alaska figured that it was cheaper to house them there. But for those prisoners they were away from their friends, family, etc. in a completely alien landscape. This will be more of the same.

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    1. ambrit February 5, 2025 at 8:55 am

       Think long term here Rev. This sets up the system for Saint Elon to “requisition” prisoners for transportation to the Mars Colony as Indentured Labour.
       “Alternative 3” was a documentary after all.

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       1. The Rev Kev February 5, 2025 at 8:58 am

          And the bright side here is that they would receive so much radiation on the way there and on Mars itself, you would never have to worry their eventual release as they would be dead and recycled by the time they were due for release.

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17. Wukchumni February 5, 2025 at 8:53 am

    The whole notion of loyalty inquisitions is a national characteristic of the police state, not of democracy. The history of Soviet Russia is a modern example of this ancient practice. I must, in good conscience, protest against any unnecessary suppression of our rights as free men. We must not burn down the house to kill the rats.

    Adlai Stevenson

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18. vao February 5, 2025 at 9:01 am

    The article “The lesson of El Salvador’s failed Bitcoin experiment” contains such gems as:

    “The Salvadoran government made Bitcoin legal tender so that everyday citizens could enjoy the cryptocurrency’s benefits. They could experience holding a sound asset in their hands. They could start to understand the ills that central banks cast upon society.”

    Intrigued, I saw that that the author is a certain Kadan Stadelmann, CTO at Komodo Platform. So what is Komodo Platform?

    “Free Technology, Limitless Possibilities

    From custom blockchains to wallet apps, NFTs, and cross-platform atomic swaps, Komodo’s all-inclusive platform gives you the tools to launch, secure, and scale-fast. We provide everything you need to shape the future of blockchain in one place.”

    So those guys chose the name of a place known for its voracious reptiles that devour every living being that crosses their path, and wax lyrical about the “benefits of crypto”. Somehow I do not feel reassured.

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19. ChrisFromGA February 5, 2025 at 9:04 am

    Shock Me

    (Sung to the tune of “Shock me” by KISS, as sung by Ace Frehley)

    Melody

    Your drama’s all I need
    My agitation grows
    You make me feel uneased
    You’ll make the planet glow
    Don’t use soft power on me
    I’m feelin low, so get me high

    Shock me, make Jared better
    Shock me, be our Mad Max bellwether
    Shock me, we can glow forever

    And baby if you do what you’ve been told
    Our constitution’s gone, information overload

    Go pull the plug on DC – yeah, yeah
    Shut it down, and keep me high …

    Shock me, make Jared’s real estate portfolio better
    Shock me, put Marge in black leather
    Shock me, we can glow forever
    come on!

    [Guitar solo]

    Shock me, Donald, shock me, oh yeah
    Shock me, Bibi, shock me, oh yeah!

    Shock me, make me feel better, oh yeah
    Come on and shock me, put Marge in black leather
    Baby, I’m down to get retired!
    Shock me – be our Mad Max bellwether
    Oh yeah, I want to feel your power

    Shock me

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20. Mikel February 5, 2025 at 9:05 am

    What if the Musk Administration cuts enough jobs and triggers an official recession? Then the big players get their interest rate cuts that will help them through the storm and get easy money to buy more stuff on the cheap.

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21. The Rev Kev February 5, 2025 at 9:22 am

    “Google wants Search to be more like an AI assistant in 2025′

    That’s it . Google is toast. They may as well rename themselves the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation and I’m sure their marketing division will come up with a cheery motto for that AI Assistant. Something like ‘Your Digital Pal Who’s Fun to Be With.’

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22. ChrisFromGA February 5, 2025 at 9:26 am

    Clippy.

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