It is confirmed that the Iranian leader has been killed and now the speculation on who will lead Iran in this time of war.
Now we have an answer to that probing question….
Iran’s powerful clerical body is moving toward a dynastic handoff at the very top. Three Iranian officials who spoke to the New York Times say Mojtaba Khamenei, the 56-year-old son of slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has emerged as the leading candidate to inherit his father’s post after meetings of the Assembly of Experts on Tuesday. An announcement could come as soon as Wednesday, though some clerics reportedly worry that naming him now would make him an even bigger target for the US and Israel. CNN reported over the weekend that “father-to-son succession is frowned upon in the Shiite Muslim clerical establishment and particularly in a revolutionary Iran that came about after toppling a widely reviled monarchy.”
But Mojtaba, long influential but rarely seen, is closely aligned with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards, and the officials say the Guard is strongly backing him as the safest pair of hands in a crisis. Analysts say his selection would signal dominance by Iran’s most hard-line security forces, though a Tehran-based commentator predicts a backlash from parts of the public already angered by the regime’s lethal crackdown on protesters. Two other finalists, cleric Alireza Arafi and revolution founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini’s grandson Seyed Hassan Khomeini, are viewed as relative moderates. One political ally has argued Mojtaba could surprise as a reform-minded figure, likening his potential role to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s—while others, including President Trump, warn Iran could simply end up with a leader as tough as the last.
Another hard core extremist to take the reins of government.
Now the question will be will this succession be for the good or the bad?
Will the Shia faithful accept this succession from father to son which is not something that is done with Shia religious leaders?
We all know about the war that Donny and his merry band of a/holes have started with Iran and the blogs and news has been full of the reports but he best rhetoric comes from the dumb asses around Pistol Pete….
Now the religious zealots within the government are framing this conflict as some sort of ‘holy war’ (seriously?)…..at least some are nolt finding this terminology proper….
Some US service members say their commanders are casting the new conflict with Iran as a prelude to the apocalypse. The Military Religious Freedom Foundation reports receiving upward of 110 complaints since fighting began on Saturday, alleging that officers in every branch have framed the campaign as part of a “divine plan” leading to the Second Coming of Christ, per Raw Story, citing original reporting by journalist Jonathan Larsen. The complaints, from more than 40 units at roughly 30 military installations, describe what MRFF founder Mikey Weinstein calls an atmosphere of “unrestricted euphoria” among some leaders who see the war as biblically mandated.
One noncommissioned officer’s written complaint shared with Larsen says a combat unit commander opened a Monday readiness briefing by telling NCOs not to fear operations in Iran because they were “all part of God’s divine plan.” The commander allegedly cited the Book of Revelation, referenced Armageddon and the imminent return of Jesus, and claimed that “President Trump has been anointed by Jesus to light the signal fire in Iran” to trigger those events. The NCO wrote that the statements “destroy morale and unit cohesion,” calling the comments “toxic and over the line.”
Weinstein argues that such messaging violates constitutional church-state separation and the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which bars using official military authority to promote religion. Larsen notes that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has long associated with Christian nationalist leaders, including pastor Ralph Drollinger, who teaches that God rewards nations that back Israel and punishes those that oppose it.
he complainant says troops in their support unit feel forced to endure their commander’s “Armageddon views” and believe he thinks the entire chain of command backs him. The Cradle notes that the report syncs “with a pattern of senior US figures framing geopolitical policy through explicitly biblical narratives,” including Mike Huckabee claiming last month that Israel has a “biblical right” to a huge tract of territory that spans from “the Nile in Egypt to the Euphrates in Iraq.” More here from Larsen.
This is what we get when we allow morons to run the government….personally I do not give shit on Petey boy’s beliefs….they have NO place in government.
Besides is this not the same rhetoric that we condemned from Muslims and their ‘holy war’?
Jesus’ return? How many times has that idiotic statement been made to justify stupid?
Stop using your religious ‘beliefs’ to justify and illegal act of war.
This country will be better when these twats keep their religious BS to themselves.
For several years this country endured the antics and rhetoric of MTG and then all of a sudden she does a 180 and starts sounding like the voice of sanity within the GOP
I offer up a couple of incidents that makes asking the question.
On Iran….
Former US House Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on Sunday urged Vice President JD Vance and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard to speak out against the US war against Iran, citing their previous opposition to a conflict with the Islamic Republic.
“[Vance] and [Gabbard] you both need to speak out against the war in Iran. People are paying attention, very close attention. Silence won’t cut it. You were both on record repeatedly, publicly, and loudly against going to war with Iran,” Greene wrote on X.
“Our friend, Charlie Kirk was adamantly against war with Iran. You cannot be silent. Americans are dying. You both know this is not what we campaigned for and this is 100% what we said would not happen. We said, I said, you said: NO MORE FOREIGN WARS AND NO MORE REGIME CHANGE. All we wanted was America FIRST. This is not it,” she added.
During the first Trump administration, then-House Rep. Gabbard ran a presidential campaign and made “no more regime change wars” a major plank of her campaign. She was also harshly critical of President Trump’s escalations against Iran, which included the January 2020 killing of Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani.
“This was very clearly an act of war by this president without any kind of authorization or declaration of war from Congress, clearly violating the Constitution,” Gabbard said at the time. Trump also launched the current war with Iran without any authorization from Congress.
(antiwar.com)
Because I have an excellent memory her change has been confusing.
Next she had lots to say about the next elections, healthcare, etc…..
Marjorie Taylor Greene has declared that everything happening in Washingtonfor the rest of the year will be “purely performative,” designed solely to “gaslight you to vote in the midterms.” She says she and her colleagues discussed this back in January 2025, where they realized they only had about six to nine months to get serious work done. After that, she says, the “courage would fade and campaign mode would kick in,” shutting down any real legislative progress.
According to The Hill, Greene is not impressed with what has been accomplished so far. She says the main achievement was just an extension of existing tax law with a few small additions. Beyond that, she argues there has been “no accountability” on major issues, including the COVID-19 pandemic, what she calls “4 years of lawfare,” the 2020 election, and the files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
She also criticized the Republican Party for not making health insurance affordable, saying, “Republicans have done NOTHING to make health insurance affordable and hide from the issue like the pedophiles in the Epstein files.” She believes any actions taken by GOP legislators in the coming months will simply be to “scare you into voting for Republicans again in the midterms,” rather than fixing real problems.
After a dramatic rift with her party, former MAGA Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) is spilling the tea on the way Republicans in Congress will try to game the midterms.
“Everything in Washington will be purely performative, for the remainder of the year, to gaslight you to vote in the midterms,” she wrote in a long post on X. “We all knew and discussed in internal meetings back in January of 2025 that we only had 6-9 months to do anything serious and after the third quarter of 2025 our opportunity would be gone because courage would fade and campaign mode would kick in.”
She slammed her party for accomplishing almost nothing in that time. “No accountability for Covid. No accountability for 4 years of lawfare. No accountability for the 2020 election. No accountability for Epstein files. Not only is there nothing tangible in terms of accountability, but Republicans have done NOTHING to make health insurance affordable and hide from the issue like the pedophiles in the Epstein files.”
Like I have stated earlier….I was never a big fan of hers in the past but since she has don e her 180 she makes a lot of sense…..could it be because she knows what the game plan is from the MAGA twats?
So far she has been the voice of reason and sanity….can she keep it up?
The lame ass words of Pistol Pete of the War Dept…..(sorry cannot take this dick wad seriously)
The nation’s top two military officials gave their first public briefing about the military operation in Iran, and both declined to put a specific timeline on how long it may last, reports the New York Times. (Earlier, President Trump suggested four to five weeks.) Highlights from the press conference with defense chief Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff:
Hegseth said the campaign had a “clear, devastating, decisive mission” to “destroy the missile threats, destroy the navy, no nukes,” reports NPR. He also blamed Iran for years of attacks on US interests. “We didn’t start this war, but under President Trump we’re finishing it,” he said.
“This is not a so-called regime change war, but the regime sure did change,” Hegseth said, referring to the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. “And the world is better off for it.”
After a couple of days a sixth American has been confirmed dead…
The US death toll from the US-Iran conflict has risen to six, CNN reports. US Central Command on Monday announced the new toll from an Iranian strike on a temporary American operations hub at Kuwait’s Shuaiba port after the remains of two previously missing service members were recovered from the wreckage. The six service members are the first US troops killed in action since Washington launched “Operation Epic Fury” against Iran over the weekend.
Speaking of the troops…. what are the chances of ground forces sent to intervene in the conflict?
Nobody knows when the war in Iran will end, but President Trump continues to prepare the nation for a conflict that will be measured in weeks and perhaps months, not days. “Whatever the time is, it’s OK, whatever it takes,” Trump said at the White House on Monday, reports the New York Times. “Right from the beginning we projected four to five weeks, but we have the capability to go far longer than that. We’ll do it.”
Objectives: The president listed four goals, reports CBS News. “We’re destroying Iran’s missile capability, and we’re doing that hourly,” he said. The strikes were also “annihilating their Navy,” ensuring that the “sick and sinister regime” can never have a nuclear weapon, and ensuring that Iran can no longer coordinate terrorism abroad.
Ground troops: In a separate interview with the New York Post, Trump did not rule out the use of US ground troops. “I don’t have the yips with respect to boots on the ground,” he said. “Like every president says, ‘There will be no boots on the ground.’ I don’t say it. I say ‘probably don’t need them,’ [or] ‘if they were necessary.'”
Intensification: Trump also told Jake Tapper of CNN that the airstrikes will likely intensify. “We haven’t even started hitting them hard, the big wave hasn’t even happened,” he said. “The big one is coming soon.”
To be open and fair….Iranian deaths are compounding….
The Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) said in a statement on Monday that at least 555 Iranians had been killed since the US and Israel began bombing Iran on Saturday morning.
Heavy US and Israeli strikes have been pounding targets across Iran since then, and President Trump vowed on Monday that the bombing would escalate. “We haven’t even started hitting them hard. The big wave hasn’t even happened. The big one is coming soon,” the president told CNN.
…
When asked about the reports of massive casualties at a girls’ school, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said it was “looking into” the reports of civilian harm. According to The New York Times, satellite images show the school is near an Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) base, which was also hit during the attack. (That is Trump-speak for who gives a fuck).
Here we go again sports fans.
If all this is successful who will lead once the regime change is complete (if ever)….
Guess who. The son of the shah that totally crapped all over the Iranian people for decades.
Iran’s exiled crown prince says the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has opened a door he’s been waiting on for nearly five decades. Speaking from Paris, Reza Pahlavi told CBS’ 60 Minutes that he believes Iran’s ruling system is now “bound to collapse” and that he is ready to serve as a temporary leader to guide the country toward a democratic government—though, he stressed, not as king or as an elected official, CBS News reports. “Many Iranians, often despite facing bullets, have called on me to lead this transition,” he wrote in an oped piece in the Washington Post published Saturday.
Pahlavi laid out four pillars for a post-theocratic Iran on 60 Minutes: keeping the country intact, separating religion from government, guaranteeing equal rights under the law, and letting voters decide the political system. He called for dismantling the country’s nuclear weapons program and said he envisions future partnership and peace with Israel. Pahlavi, who has lived in exile since his father, the last shah, was ousted in 1979, rejected criticism tied to his father’s rule and said millions now chant his name inside Iran. He praised President Trump for military action against Iran’s regime but said he does not expect formal US backing, contending that parts of Iran’s security forces are prepared to abandon what he called a sinking ship. “This is our chance now,” the opposition leader said.
Many Iranians? Who? Name names.
He does not expect formal US backing…..a total bullshit statement.
With all that said what can we expect with this ‘regime change’?
Barely an hour after the first U.S. and Israeli missiles struck Iran, President Donald Trump made clear he hoped for regime change. “Now is the time to seize control of your destiny,” he told the Iranian people in a video. “This is the moment for action. Do not let it pass.”
Doesn’t sound complicated. After all, with Iran’s fundamentally unpopular government weakened by fierce airstrikes, some of its top leaders dead or missing and Washington signaling support, how hard could it be to overthrow a repressive regime?
Possibly very hard. So says history.
Washington has a long, complicated past when it comes to regime change. There was Vietnam in the 1960s and 70s, and Panama in 1989. There was Nicaragua in the 1980s, Iraq and Afghanistan in the years after 9/11, and Venezuela just weeks ago.
There was also Iran. In 1953, the CIA helped engineer a coup that toppled Iran’s democratically elected leader and gave near-absolute power to Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. But as with the shah, who was overthrown in Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution after decades of increasingly unpopular rule, regime change rarely goes as planned.
Remember Michelle Bachmann, that crazy bitch and MAGA twat?
Since she left Congress we have not heard much from this mouth of stupid….but that is about to change.
Former Rep. Michelle Bachmann appeared on Victory News, where there was a little bit of a showdown between Donald Trump and Gavin Newsom, in which she hosted a sort of beauty pageant.
Bachmann was asked her assessment of President Trump‘s current standing and “stamina” as he navigates his second term. This prompted Bachmann to gush about the president’s appearance and fitness, leading to the specific comparison between him and the governor of California, which was unprompted.
They see Gavin Newsom as this big beauty, but I would put up Donald Trump against him any day,” she said.
“Here you have Donald Trump, who is in his very late seventies, the guy is absolutely handsome, in incredible shape, he’s married to the most beautiful woman in the world, and I’d put Donald Trump up against Gavin Newsom any day of the week.”
“Gavin wouldn’t even be in the same league as Donald Trump.”
Just two days into the attack on Iran the reports are the leader has been killed as well as 3 American and 5 others seriously injured.
The justification for this attack was of course the nuclear thing, but I thought we destroyed that capability last year’s attack and the trusty BS to help the Iranian people to live free.
So what on?
According to Donald Trump, Iranians have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. “The hour of your freedom is at hand,” he declared, as U.S. and Israeli warplanes pounded Iranian cities and the compound of the country’s supreme leader. “When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will probably be your only chance for generations.”
Trump’s comments made clear that America is seeking regime change. After decades of high tensions, tough recriminations and one-off attacks, Washington finally decided to try getting rid of the country’s government altogether — and it thinks ordinary Iranians will rise up and finish the job.
The country’s population, after all, is clearly fed up with the Islamic Republic. Over the last decade, Iranians have repeatedly staged mass demonstrations against the regime. Those protests typically only go away after the government responds with horrific force. In December and January, for example, hundreds of thousands of Iranians spent weeks demonstrating — until Iranian security officials shot and killed thousands of them. But now, American and Israeli warplanes are attacking Iran’s military and security apparatus and destroying other government institutions. They have killed the country’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, and many other top officials. The Trump administration seems to be betting that the Iranian people will soon take over the regime change process, resume protesting and successfully remove a greatly weakened government.
To gauge how likely that response might be, I spoke to political scientists and Iranian experts, all of whom would love to see “people power” usher in new leadership in Tehran. But they also expressed deep skepticism that even this massive air campaign could produce a successful uprising.
For starters, they told me, aerial bombing campaigns have a terrible record at fomenting regime change in any state. Second, Iran has powerful repressive organs with a lot of experience in putting down popular unrest. In addition, Iran’s bureaucracy has been expecting — and preparing for — American attacks for generations. And even if Washington does successfully fracture or defang the Islamic Republic, exhausted and shocked Iranians may be too frightened or focused on survival to flood the streets. The country’s political opposition remains weak, and it is famously fragmented.
Let’s be clear the US has never been a champion of democracy in Iran….it has always been about the oil….PERIOD!
It is too early to judge what will happen next…..for the airstrikes are still a threat and people will try not to wind up like the Palestinians.
Donny has made it clear that he wants more sacrifice from our troops….
Three US service members were killed in action during the joint attack on Iran, the Defense Department said Sunday, the first American casualties of the operation that began Saturday. “Sadly, there will likely be more before it ends,” President Trump said Sunday afternoon in a video message, per the New York Times. “That’s the way it is.” Five others were seriously wounded, the Washington Post reports. US Central Command posted on X that several troops “sustained minor shrapnel injuries and concussions and are in the process of being returned to duty.” The military did not release the names of those killed or any details but added that their identities will be released 24 hours after next of kin have been notified.
Three US service members were killed in action during the joint attack on Iran, the Defense Department said Sunday, the first American casualties of the operation that began Saturday. “Sadly, there will likely be more before it ends,” President Trump said Sunday afternoon in a video message, per the New York Times. “That’s the way it is.” Five others were seriously wounded, the Washington Post reports. US Central Command posted on X that several troops “sustained minor shrapnel injuries and concussions and are in the process of being returned to duty.” The military did not release the names of those killed or any details but added that their identities will be released 24 hours after next of kin have been notified.
In the six-minute video, per the AP, Trump called the three service members killed “true American patriots who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation, even as we continue the righteous mission for which they gave their lives.” He also said that “until all of our objectives are achieved,” combat operations will continue “in full force.” He did not specify what the objectives are. More than 200 have been reported killed in Iran since the US and Israel struck by the Iranian Red Crescent Society, per Axios. Iran was firing ballistic missiles and drones Sunday against American bases and targets in the Middle East. “Our response effort is ongoing,” the US statement said, per CBS News. “My administration has taken every possible step to minimize the risk to US personnel in the region,” Trump had said Saturday.
We begin another month of torture for the people of this country as Little Donny Do-Little continues his assault on the working people of this country.
The top news is that our ‘peace president’ has started another war….lucky us.
Donny is still harping on awarding himself the Medal of Honor….a draft dodger with the medal is crapping on all us the served our country in time of war.
His next piece of utter ‘brilliance’ is putting wifey poo in charge of a UN Security Council meeting….
First lady Melania Trump will chair a United Nations Security Council session on Monday, the White House said, in an unusual move that coincides with the US assuming the council’s rotating presidency for March. A statement said the meeting will focus on how schooling and digital tools can support tolerance and peace in war-affected areas, the Guardian reports. The White House said it will be the first time a sitting US first lady has presided over the 15-member council, a job typically handled by a country’s UN ambassador or a senior Cabinet official. For that matter, a UN spokesman said, per the AP, no first lady or first gentleman “has ever presided over a Security Council meeting.”
US Ambassador Mike Waltz is expected to attend the meeting, titled “Children, Technology, and Education in Conflict,” along with other council representatives and international participants. Trump has highlighted issues involving children affected by the war in Ukraine, including efforts to return minors taken to Russia since the 2022 invasion. Her appearance at the UN comes against the backdrop of her husband’s long-running criticism of the organization, per the Guardian, as well as President Trump’s decision to withdraw the US from several UN-related bodies and cuts to funding for agencies. Also, the US owes the United Nations billions of dollars; it hasn’t paid dues for last year or this one.
Now here is another worthless idea from Donny…send in the amateurs.
Another of his stupidity (of you cannot see it by now then you in the same league as this twat)….because of criticism he wants to deport DeNiro….
In a fiery new social media rant, Donald Trump threatened to deport one huge-name star out of the United States.
During a recent appearance on Nicolle Wallace’s The Best People podcast this week, the 82-year-old film star encouraged his fellow Americans to ‘resist’ the oppressive will of Trump officials, slamming the right-wing leader as ‘an idiot’.
His mental decline is getting worse and his failing ego is getting bigger.
Then he thinks that he is the ultimate law after SCOTUS crapped on his lame tariffs….
In Donald Trump’s mind, he is the state, and justice is whatever serves his interests. This is the logic of absolute monarchs, dictators and tyrants, and although it is antithetical to the Constitution and America’s founding principles, the president makes sure to put it on full display.
Following the Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision on Feb. 20 to declare many of Trump’s tariffs unconstitutional and illegal, the president responded with rage. He attacked the six justices who ruled against him — liberals Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson, along with conservatives Neil Gorsuch, Amy Coney Barrett and Chief Justice John Roberts — as “a disgrace to our nation.”
But he heaped special scorn on Gorsuch and Barrett. “They are very unpatriotic and disloyal to our Constitution,” Trump said of the two justices, both of whom he appointed. “It’s my opinion that the court has been swayed by foreign interests and a political movement that is far smaller than people would ever think.” Later, he said that their families should be embarrassed.
He accused justices of being disloyal to the Constitution….this from an asshole that uses the document as toilet paper. What a putz!
Donny thanks ‘stupid people’…..
President Donald Trump was widely mocked after he declared that “stupid people” would rate his “Make America Great Again” slogan “the number one phrase in the history of politics in America.”
Trump made the remark during a press conference while pledging that “together we’re going to ‘Make America Great Again’—though he didn’t have great things to say for the slogan he claims to have come up with.
Donny seems to get confused (that is being polite) ABOUT HISTORY…..
President Donald Trump botched 19th-century U.S. history on Friday, telling a crowd of supporters that the Civil War and Reconstruction were the same thing.
Trump held a rally in Corpus Christi, Texas, just days ahead of Tuesday’s primaries in the state. The president used the opportunity to tout his energy policies. The president began his speech by recounting a phone call he said he had with Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R):
You know, it’s interesting. The governor called me after the last election. He said, “You know, you did something no Republican has ever done. You won every border town and little border city, but every border town all the way up and down, all the way from one side to the other.” He said, “First time it’s ever happened since” – he used the word ‘Reconstruction,’ right? I said, “And by ‘Reconstruction,’ are you saying the Civil War? Is that what you’re saying?” That was a fancy way of saying the Civil War. He said that’s the first time it’s happened. We won every single, and largely Hispanic vote. We love the Hispanic voters. We love them.
Now let’s talk about the morons that call this moron ‘president’…..we know that the televised hearings are nothing more than theatrics and optics and the MAGA crowd loves to perform….
A far-right agitator caused outrage by testifying before Idaho’s House Business Committee this week wearing an offensive brownface costume.
David Pettinger, 49, arrived to discuss a bill concerning unauthorized workers in the state and the prospect of introducing an E-Verify program while wearing brown makeup, sunglasses, a wig, a beard, and handcuffs dangling from his wrist.
Surprisingly, the panel’s acting chair, Republican Rep. Josh Wheeler, allowed Pettinger to deliver his testimony unchallenged, which he duly did, speaking in Spanish.
This douche bag should have been denied entry until he acts like an adult….or better yet arrest the son of a bitch for contempt.
Not all conservs are Donny worshipers…..
George Conway, the Republican lawyer-turned-Democratic candidate for Congress, suggested that his own country is a “terrorist state” on Saturday morning, hours after the United States and Israel launched a joint operation against Iran.
“Perhaps the terrorist state with nuclear weapons is …. {checks notes} … the United States of America?” wrote Conway in a post on X that he later retweeted.
In other posts, Conway said he was “hopeful that the war in Iran will bring needed democratic change to … the United States of America,” and urged his followers to “remember” that “the dim-witted megalomaniacal narcissistic psychopath who has just started a major regional war in the Middle East has unfettered control of approximately 5,177 nuclear warheads.”
Enough depressing crap from DC…..I will end today with humor…..since winter is coming to an end and spring is quickly approaching I thought dogs dealing with snow would put a smile on my readers face.
I hope everyone has a wonderful day and as always….Be Well and Be Safe….
We are closing in on the last of yet another month….there is so much news that gets pushed aside for the silliness that is our clueless leader and his antics and rhetoric…..it is my gig to try and bring some of the missed news to my readers.
Local–Lots of Spring like weather so the different festivals have begun….the crab, the oyster, the crayfish, etc and this will continue through the Summer….there are 10 cities across the coast and they all have multiple festivals yearly….so always something to do.
Personal–Yesterday was another chemo session and I feel like crap…..this time the side effects are brutal.
Somewhere last week I did something that screwed my back up so I have been walking like the old man that I am.
Shall we begin?
I start with news from the UK and if any of my readers have more info please past it on…..
In parts of the UK, a $3.50 Cadbury chocolate bar now comes with a clear plastic force field around it. Sainsbury’s, Tesco, and Co-op are among the chains putting chocolate candy in anti-theft boxes as retailers and police say sweets are increasingly being stolen to be resold through illicit markets, reports the BBC. The Association of Convenience Stores says chocolate has shifted from being an item targeted by casual shoplifters to a staple of organized theft, alongside alcohol, meat, and coffee.
The Heart of England Co-operative reports losing nearly $340,000 to chocolate theft last year alone, calling it a “massive issue” and adding that a single offender can swipe thousands of pounds’ worth in a week. Some shop owners now fill shelves just halfway, move chocolate away from prime spots, install AI-linked CCTV, and pin photos of known shoplifters at cash registers to fend off thefts.
The British Retail Consortium logged 5.5 million shop theft incidents last year, as well as 1,600 episodes of daily abuse or violence against staff. Retail groups are pressing for more police support, tougher sentences for repeat offenders, and crackdowns on the networks reselling stolen goods. Britain’s “most prolific” chocolate thief was busted in September and sentenced to 20 months behind bars, per the Sun.
Do you do regular exercise? Then here is something to consider…..
February is when a lot of gym shoes start gathering dust—but economist Emily Oster argues in a New York Times op-ed that the real problem isn’t our willpower, it’s the way exercise research is framed and sold to us. Instead of focusing on how to keep people moving for the long haul, she writes, studies and headlines obsess over which workout is “best”: running vs. swimming, walking vs. jogging, Zone 2 vs. something else. The problem is that most of this research is nonsense: The gold-standard randomized trials we’d need to truly compare these regimens are so large and costly they rarely exist.
What we mostly have, Oster explains, are observational studies that blur the line between correlation and causation. Swimmers in one study looked worse off than runners—not because swimming “doesn’t work,” but because swimmers tended to have more health risks to begin with. Similar flaws underpin buzzy claims about step counts and “one minute of vigorous equals an hour of light” activity. Oster’s advice is that people find an exercise tailored to their own likes and lifestyle, and stick with it on a regular basis. “It doesn’t really matter which exercise people do—they just need to do it past February.”
WE have seen a lot of info passed around about microplastics…..this one is disturbing….
Plastic has turned up in an unexpected place: inside most of the prostate tumors examined in a new study. NYU Langone Health researchers report finding microplastics in nine of 10 prostate cancers they analyzed—and at concentrations about 2.5 times higher than in nearby noncancerous tissue. The small pilot study, based on samples from 10 men undergoing prostate removal, will be presented at an American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting on Thursday. It is billed as the first Western research to directly compare plastic levels in prostate tumors and healthy prostate tissue, per ScienceDaily.
The team took stringent steps to avoid contamination with plastic used in labs, using nonplastic tools and carrying out testing in rooms designed for microplastic analysis. “Our pilot study provides important evidence that microplastic exposure may be a risk factor for prostate cancer,” study lead author Stacy Loeb said in a news release. One theory: The particles may spur long-lasting inflammation that promotes cancer development.
Loeb, a professor in the NYU Grossman School of Medicine’s Departments of Urology and Population, says other research found possible links between microplastics and dementia and heart disease, but there was little evidence before now linking them to prostate cancer. Researchers stress the sample size is limited and larger studies are needed, but say the findings add to calls for tighter controls on plastic exposure.
Stanford University School of Medicine urology professor Michael Eisenberg, who wasn’t involved in the study, tells NBC News that while the study doesn’t establish cause and effect, “we are finding many signals about the astonishing prevalences of micro/nanoplastics and the concerning associations with health problems.”
Now for your medical minute…..with a little history thrown in….
Rxcrement may not strike us as something doctors should use to treat patients. In fact, most people today would view feces with revulsion – but this was not always the case. In fact, there are many ancient Greco-Roman medical texts that mention the waste product being used for medical purposes. Now, researchers have found the first direct evidence that such remedies were used by some Roman-era physicians.
Ancient medicine was very different from its modern variation, though one could argue that the shadows of the past still linger in some areas of modern practice and wider culture. Regardless, for centuries before the advent of modern scientific medicine, health, illness, and treatment were all intimately wrapped up with scent and ritual. Consider the incense-filled temples of ancient Egypt or the perfumed baths of Imperial Rome; fragrances and smells played an important role in purification, healing, and protection.
It is within this complex medical framework that the use of feces in treatments fits. In addition to the use of strong-smelling oils, herbs, and resins for treating disease or warding off evil forces, excrement – particularly animal dung – was mentioned in numerous medical texts as a remedy for various ailments. Egyptian sources from the 16th century BCE describe the medicinal value of dung mixed with other aromatic agents.
Later still, authorities like Pliny the Elder and Galen regarded dung treatments as good for conditions such as inflammation, infections, and reproductive disorders. Although they may have been spoken about with euphemisms, they were nevertheless understood as part of ancient pharmacology.
After some time of breast pounding the Idiot in the White House has started another war…..this time it is with our old nemesis Iran.
The US and Israel launched an attack Saturday on Iran, with the first apparent strike happening near the offices of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian media reported strikes nationwide, and smoke could be seen rising from the capital. President Trump said in a video posted on social media that the US had begun “major combat operations in Iran,” the AP reports. He said Iran has continued to develop its nuclear program and plans to develop missiles to reach the US.
Trump said the US had launched a “massive” operation to “prevent this very wicked radical dictatorship from threatening America,” per the BBC. He acknowledged that there could be American casualties, saying “that often happens in war.”
“Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard, terrible people,” Trump said. “Its menacing activities directly endanger the United States, our troops, our bases overseas, and our allies throughout the world.”
Trump appealed to the Iranian people to “take over your government—it will be yours to take.” “This will be probably your only chance for generations,” he said. “For many years, you have asked for America’s help, but you never got it. No president was willing to do what I am willing to do tonight. Now you have a president who is giving you what you want, so let’s see how you respond.”
The New York Times reports that US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, say the campaign could last for several days and it will be far more extensive than the strikes that targeted nuclear facilities last year. The sources say dozens of US strikes are being carried out from bases around the Middle East and at least one aircraft carrier.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether the 86-year-old Khamenei was in his offices at the time of the strike, the AP reports. He hasn’t been seen publicly in days as tensions with the US have grown. The US has assembled a vast fleet of fighter jets and warships in the region.
An Israeli official tells Reuters that the joint operation had been planned for months and the date of the attack was decided weeks ago. In a statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Trump for his “historic leadership” and said Israelis will need “endurance and fortitude” in the days ahead, with Iranian counterattacks expected, the BBC reports. “This murderous terrorist regime must not be armed with nuclear weapons that would allow it to threaten all of humanity,” Netanyahu said. Like Trump, he called for regime change, saying, “Our joint action will create the conditions for the courageous Iranian people to take their destiny into their own hands.”
How will this end?
The son of the Shah should be slobbering all over himself for he may get to be boss and make the Iranian people pay for what they did to his father.
Now there is Cuba…..should they be thinking ahead to a possible US strike and conflict?
Note: Today is my chemo session and because of the side effects this will be my only post today…..sorry about that….not to worry I will be back as soon as possible.
I guess a good place to start is with a recent set of findings….
A sweeping new review of nearly 30 years of gun policy research finds a small number of firearm laws consistently show measurable effects on deaths and violence in the United States, while many others remain surprisingly unproven.
The report, released by the RAND Corporation, concludes that policies focused on limiting access during moments of crisis, such as safe-storage requirements, waiting periods, and age restrictions, are associated with reductions in suicides and some homicides. At the same time, laws that expand public carry and legal protections for the use of deadly force are linked to higher rates of violent crime.
The findings underscore how much of the gun debate is driven by assumption rather than evidence, and how narrow the list of policies with strong data behind them really is.
Under Donny’s control ICE has been the focus of the news especially all the people they have killed and at the same time massive shootings has taken a backseat to the antics of the Goon Platoon.
We know our Little Donny cares nothing for our Constitution and that seems to carry over into the realm of guns a GOP standard or it use to be….
…
Trump and his MAGA underlings have decided, in other words, that the Second Amendment—long an inviolable part of Republican orthodoxy—does not apply to anti-ICE protesters. This has dismayed not only guns rights groups but even some Republican lawmakers. “Why is a ‘conservative’ judge threatening to arrest gun owners?” Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky asked on X. Representative Greg Steube of Florida tweeted at Pirro, “I bring a gun into the district every week…. I have a license in Florida and DC to carry. And I will continue to carry to protect myself and others.” Of course, they were in the minority: Most Republicans have remained silent, tacitly acknowledging that they don’t have absolutist positions on gun rights and states’ rights after all.
(newrepublic.com)
Everything this admin does is hinkey in some way or another…..and guns are no different….
n December 31, in the waning hours of 2025, the Washington Postreported on an internal ICE document that concerned the agency’s “wartime recruitment” strategy, or rather its attempt to expeditiously swell its ranks of deportation officers. The memo, according to the Post, had in mind a pool of ideal candidates who lead a “patriotic” lifestyle and have an interest in “military and veterans affairs,” “physical training,” “gun rights organizations,” and “tactical gear brands.”
The memo’s logic was easy enough to understand, since what it described, if you read between the lines, was an informal paramilitary that was waiting to be tapped. Over the last month—as a violent federal occupation has unfolded in Minneapolis, where veteran immigration agents brutally killed two American citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti—both the memo and the new recruits it would draw into the fold began to take up outsized space in my mind. For a long time now, the gun rights movement has been animated by the promise of a violent reckoning, a sentiment nurtured by the groups that represent it and Republican politicians, who seek to channel a wild, truculent energy into votes and profits. It seemed the promise was being fulfilled in Minneapolis, like the fatal denouement of a production that had one harbinger after another.
This ‘new’ recruitment floes in the face of democracy and creeps closer to a police state….
Picture it: an America with no guns.
Our children would be safe in school. Our neighborhoods would be positively dreamy. Life expectancy would rise and America might just get a shred of respect from the rest of the world, which looks at us these days as the complete maniacs we most certainly have become.
But you think I’m the one who has completely lost his mind.
Never happen, Earl. Guns are here to stay.
You know, it wasn’t so long ago, that some sort of meaty gun control actually looked doable. Back then, when America was at least semi-sane, gun control was my No. 1 issue. I railed about it. I marched for it. I joined gun-control groups, and put some of my limited treasure into furthering this noble cause.
Hadn’t we seen enough of our children brutally slaughtered in all those classrooms?
For years the argument about guns was the 2nd was there so the people could protect themselves from the government….now think about this….what is happening in our cities with the Goon Platoon, who are acting as agents of the government, is it not what the whack jobs in the Tea Party were so concerned with happening?
If not then just what the Hell was the 2nd intended to be used for if needed?
I have found it interesting that the gun echo chamber has fallen silent in the days of ICE.
If you have any ideas then please voice them here and we all can try to understand.
