A creative solution from up north for how to stop crows and geese from leaving droppings all over a school playground has left several residents in a dreadful fright. The story comes from the city of Menlo Park in California, where a pair of “coyotes” are scarring these birds and the neighbors too. Local news […] The post Coyote Statues Are Guarding Local School Playgrounds Against Pests appeared first on Good News Network.

Books reading recommendations Five SFF Stories Featuring Blood Magic Blood is a primal source of both light and dark magic, protection and destruction… By Ratika Deshpande | Published on October 17, 2025 Photo by Calwyn Ace [via Unsplash] Comment 0 Share New Share Photo by Calwyn Ace [via Unsplash] Before there were wands and crystals, charms and mirrors, talismans and potions, or any other tool for magic, there was blood, both a resource and—if someone doesn’t particularly like you—a curse. It is perhaps the most primal form of sorcery, using lifeblood to weave spells of protection or to bring about death destruction, as we see in the following stories… “Blood, Ash, Braids” by Genevieve Valentine  Our narrator is one of the Night Witches, the nickname the Germans gave to the squadron of Russian women piloting the planes and carrying out bombing missions during WWII. Except, our narrator really is a witch, although the others don’t know it. Water (which needs tears), ash (which needs blood), and air (which needs breath) are the only kinds of magic that exist, gifts which are “designed to be spent.” Which also means that these are finite resources. When every flight is a risk, each mission a possible death for her and her comrades, how can our narrator make the best use of her limited gifts? “The Blood Portal” by Mary E. Lowd Hanna is using as much of her spatial magic as she can, to get herself and her son Owen away from her husband. Brison, who can work blood magic, has been using a leech to harvest their son’s blood—their genetic connection makes Owen a precious resource he can draw on. But it’s impossible to keep running forever without adequate gravity fields around—especially since Brison can track them down easily because of their blood. As her options run out, Hanna will have to think quickly, without making things difficult for her little son. “Season of Blood” by Brant Danay Every year, as a battle wages in Heaven, it rains blood for weeks in New Babel. Our narrator used to be an Avatar, one of the city’s superheroes. His expulsion, however, doesn’t prevent him from going out to stop some crime (mostly to save stupid teenagers who think the blood-filled streets would be fun to explore).  When he comes out of a heroin-induced coma—being an ex-superhero takes a toll—he finds that the Season of Blood has been going on for weeks longer than usual. Using his superpowers, he tries to investigate the situation, only to find the archangel Gabriel in mortal peril from morae spiders. In this he sees two things: the opportunity to save an archangel to regain his superhero status–and more importantly, his luxurious Tower suite, and the chance to find out why it hasn’t stopped raining blood. “Blood and Desert Dreams” by Y.M. Pang Kahna’s blood, she discovers as a child, can kill at a touch. Her Lady Darya uses this to further her own goals, and Kahna grows into a teenage assassin. Then one day, someone from her homeland finds her and tells her he’s like her. But the truth of Kahna’s blood must remain a secret. Despite her longing for connection and love—for the life of an assassin is lonely, and touching another is only a dream when her blood is so deadly—Kahna gets rid of the man. But the knowledge he shared with her lodges a dream in her head, and Kahna is forced to consider her identity and her place in the world. “Virgin Blood” by Ahmed A. Khan Stories about blood are usually dark and disturbing. If there’s humor, it’s often rather grim, and accompanied by plenty of gore. This story, on the other hand, was a refreshing change after all the disturbing tales of blood magic I’d been reading, ending on a nice little twist and a question that I hope will fuel a lot of retellings—saying anything more will spoil this short, sweet tale.[end-mark] The post Five SFF Stories Featuring Blood Magic appeared first on Reactor.

News What to Watch What to Watch and Read This Weekend: Reanimating Guillermo del Toro’s Greatest Hits Plus Dominic Cooper and Quan Barry takes us into the cold. By Molly Templeton | Published on October 17, 2025 Photo: Universal Pictures Comment 0 Share New Share Photo: Universal Pictures I spent the last weekend in the sunshine of Las Vegas, which means I am struggling to remember that it’s fall. It’s two weeks to Halloween! We’ll be falling back in no time! And yet my brain says sunshine and also lightning storms and three days of concerts and I am so very tired. That last one, I guess, is a bit more of a fall-type of thought. Maybe a spooky watch or read—or two—will help with my (and your) sense of seasonal appropriateness? We can all probably fit something in around this weekend’s No Kings protest. Before Frankenstein, There Were a Whole Lot of Good del Toro Movies, Actually If you are lucky, you might live in a place where you’ll be able to see Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein in theaters this weekend. For some of us, it’s next weekend, or the weekend after. (Showings are already selling out!) But if you’re less lucky—or if you just want to go back in time—you can, of course, watch other del Toro films. Crimson Peak just had its 10th anniversary; it was released (in the US) on October 16, 2015. I am still worried that I’m too much of a baby to watch that one, though I love the style, the vibe, the whole existence of it. I just do all my admiring from a safe distance. With my hands over my eyes. But there’s something in the director’s oeuvre for just about everyone: The Shape of Water won Best Picture at the Oscars, or you might go all the way back to Cronos for the first del Toro/Ron Perlman collaboration. Pan’s Labyrinth is iconic for so many reasons, and, yes, Pacific Rim is extremely enjoyable. If I had time, I’d be starting a del Toro marathon right about now. Some Interviews Are Like the Best Eavesdropping Two confessions: I don’t garden, and I haven’t yet read Yiyun Li’s new memoir Things in Nature Merely Grow. And yet, I keep coming back to this Orion interview with Li, which Manjula Martin begins by writing, “I’m obsessed with Yiyun Li’s roses.” The piece is, as the header explains, “A conversation about gardening, loss, and the end of metaphor.” It’s gorgeous, intimate, funny, and feels like getting to listen to two very wise people having a conversation; it flows and turns naturally and movingly. Li’s memoir is about her son’s death by suicide, so the writers have not been brought together by a lightweight topic. But Martin’s wise questions allow for expansive answers; any curious reader, I think, might find something unexpected and valuable in this conversation. And you also might never look at backyard bunnies in quite the same way.  The Unveiling: Honestly All I Needed to Hear Was “Quan Barry” First: If you have not read We Ride Upon Sticks, Quan Barry’s novel about a team of high school hockey players who decide to use some unconventional means to win their games, please do that. Now is the season. It’s fall, it’s witches (sort of), it’s got a hairstyle called The Claw (and if you were alive in the ’80s, you will recognize it when you see it). Second, though, Barry has a new book out that is also seasonally appropriate, in that it sounds creepy and weird and also cold. Very cold, given that it’s set in Antarctica. The Unveiling follows a Black film scout named Striker as she travels to Antarctica to seek locations for a movie about Ernest Shackleton. The publisher’s description says, “Along the way, she finds private if cautious amusement in the behavior of both the native wildlife and the group of wealthy, mostly white tourists who have chosen to spend Christmas on the Weddell Sea.” I am already all in, but then there’s mention of a troubled kayak expedition, and the phrase “there are no such things as haunted places, only haunted people.” Yes. Yes, please.  The Last Frontier: If You Put Dominic Cooper in Your TV Show, I Will Probably Watch It Prior to today, I somehow missed every mention of the new Apple TV series The Last Frontier, which sounds kind of like someone put Con Air and Yellowjackets in a blender to see what would happen: a prison transport plane goes down in remote Alaska, and shit gets weird, and maybe the crash wasn’t an accident, too. Probably there’s no cannibalism here (probably), but there is a really solid cast: Jason Clarke (Zero Dark Thirty) stars as the U.S. marshal in the area; Preacher himself, Dominic Cooper, is the antagonist, and we’ve also got Simone Kessell (Yellowjackets), Dallas Goldtooth (Reservation Dogs), Alfre Woodard (Luke Cage), John Slattery (Spotlight), Clifton Collins Jr. (Westworld), and Johnny Knoxville. I mean, why not add Knoxville at that point? I can’t promise you this show is good—Variety called it “borderline camp” and said “there’s usually a ridiculous action set piece involving snowmobiles, horses, helicopters, or some combination thereof to make the viewer perk up and pay attention.” But Cooper has never been anything less than magnetic, going all the way back to 2006’s The History Boys, and I am probably not the only person primed by True Detective: Night Country for more Alaska-set adventures. So I’ll give it a try.[end-mark] The post What to Watch and Read This Weekend: Reanimating Guillermo del Toro’s Greatest Hits appeared first on Reactor.

The government is “shut down.” Media call this a “crisis.” A “crisis [with] no deal in sight,” says Fox News. Reuters says it’s a “key risk to U.S. stability.” But when I look around, I see business as usual—families raise children, workers work, people play music … The media act like government is the most important part of life. It isn’t. Fortunately, most of life, and the best of life, happens outside government. Yes, we need government. Limited government. Enough to keep us safe. But most of life doesn’t depend on what goes through D.C. Most of life thrives without government, often, despite government. During shutdowns, government tells “nonessential” workers not to come to work. But if they’re nonessential, why do we employ them? The shutdown is certainly a problem for the 1.4 million federal employees currently working without pay or furloughed. But they will likely get paid once government’s back in business. That’s what happened before. The media claim flights are delayed because of Air Traffic Control staffing shortages. CNN writes, “Delays spread to major airports across the country, as the government shutdown impacts travelers.” But many of these delays happen because government runs Air Traffic Control, and government management isn’t good. In other places (airports in Canada, the U.K., Germany, Australia), Air Traffic Control is privately run. A Government Accountability Office report found that private systems lead to fewer delays. Even security screenings work better when they’re private. At San Francisco’s airport, security lines move faster, and passengers told me, “The screeners are nicer!” They’re nicer and faster because in San Francisco (also Kansas City and some smaller airports), private companies handle security. The TSA even acknowledges that private screeners are better at finding contraband. So why does government do these things? It shouldn’t. Private operators are better because they must compete. Competition makes everybody sharper. Succeed, or you get fired. But government never fires itself. It’s why its incompetent government workers stay incompetent. It’s also why the Pentagon flunks audits and uses outdated computers. Shutdowns are supposed to show how vital government is. Instead, they show the opposite. Now, some farmers complain that they’re not getting government support checks. But why should farmers get taxpayer funding in the first place? Politicians said it was needed to “save family farms,” but it doesn’t. It mostly subsidizes big agribusiness. Some claim America needs government aid to “guarantee the food supply.” But we don’t. Fruit and vegetable growers get nothing from Washington. There’s no shortage of tomatoes, peaches or green beans … We should take a chain saw to much of government. Consider government inspections of foods. We’re told to be glad U.S. Department of Agriculture inspectors are considered “essential” and will stay on the job to keep us safe. But meat is safe not because of bureaucratically mandated inspections but mostly because of competition. Food sellers have a reputation to uphold. If their food poisons us, people won’t buy from them. As a result, today’s food producers take more safety measures than government requires. One told me they employ a thousand more safety inspectors than the government demands. Stories like that rarely get coverage. Politicians, gathered in D.C., are easy to report on. Journalists lazily obsess about them because they’re easy to interview. It’s impossible to cover millions of individuals pursuing our own interests. But it’s we who make America work. Not bureaucrats bickering in D.C. Media pundits will continue to act as if shutdowns are a crisis, but they’re not. We’ve “survived” shutdowns before, and we’ll “survive” this one. COPYRIGHT 2025 CREATORS.COM We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal. The post Shutdown! Do You Care? appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Jay Jones: Trump Trump Trump (Sorry!) Trump Trump Trump

ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel was not a fan of Speaker Mike Johnson using a Thursday press conference to angrily remind everyone that the only reason why the government is shut down is because Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is terrified of his base and needs “to cover his tail.” According to Kimmel, Johnson’s true motivation is to cover up the Epstein Files. Kimmel declared, “Mike Johnson, this, you know, the squeaker of the House, Mike Johnson, gave quite a performance today trying to pretend Democrats are the reason he shut down the House of Representatives for almost a month. Watch how hard he acts here. He gets all mad trying to pretend this has anything to do with anything other than the Epstein Files.”     In the clip, Johnson got uncharacteristically angry at Schumer and abruptly left the press conference: To get everybody together and build that consensus is not possible until we get the government operating again and we stop holding—I'm sorry, I get very upset, we stop holding the American people hostage for these ridiculous political games. People see what's going on here. We should not have Border Patrol agents not paid right now because Chuck Schumer wants to play political games to cover his tail. I don’t know how more—much more simply to say that, and every single one of you know, that's exactly what's going on. I don't like being Mad Mike. I want to be Happy Mike. I want to be the happy warrior. But I'm so upset about this. God bless America. We're done. Thanks. Two things need to be said. First, the question that Kimmel did not play had nothing to do with the Epstein Files. It was about whether Johnson would agree with Senate Majority Leader John Thune and give Democrats a vote on Obamacare subsidies in order to reopen the government. The beginning of Johnson’s answer, which Kimmel also did not play, featured him educating the reporter that Schumer rejected that offer because he wants a guaranteed outcome. Second, it is clearly true that Schumer is trying to appease the far-left part of the Democratic base, including the late night comedians, who got mad at him for not shutting down the government earlier in the year. As for the part of the answer he did play, Kimmel mocked Johnson’s reaction, “Someone didn’t have his Go-GURT this morning! He doesn't like being Mad Mike. He wants to be Happy Mike. He wants to be the happy warrior, but he can't because of us.” Yes, Chuck Schumer and other Democrats are terrified of being primaried from the left, so they decided to shut down the government to save a temporary, COVID-era policy that allows basically anyone, including the very rich, to receive Obamacare subsidies. Here is a transcript for the October 16 show: ABC Jimmy Kimmel Live! 10/16/2025 11:41 PM ET JIMMY KIMMEL: Mike Johnson, this, you know, the squeaker of the House, Mike Johnson, gave quite a performance today trying to pretend Democrats are the reason he shut down the House of Representatives for almost a month. Watch how hard he acts here. He gets all mad trying to pretend this has anything to do with anything other than the Epstein Files. MIKE JOHNSON: To get everybody together and build that consensus is not possible until we get the government operating again and we stop holding — I'm sorry, I get very upset, we stop holding the American people hostage for these ridiculous political games. People see what's going on here. We should not have Border Patrol agents not paid right now because Chuck Schumer wants to play political games to cover his tail. I don’t know how more— much more simply to say that, and every single one of you know, that's exactly what's going on. I don't like being Mad Mike. I want to be Happy Mike. I want to be the happy warrior. But I'm so upset about this. God bless America. We're done. Thanks. KIMMEL: Someone didn’t have his Go-GURT this morning! He doesn't like being Mad Mike. He wants to be Happy Mike. He wants to be the happy warrior, but he can't because of us.

POLL: What was the worst media take of the week? (Vote below)     NOMINEES:    1. Jason Johnson: Everybody Who Loves Democracy Is Antifa  “The idea of going after Antifa is like saying we’re going after dog lovers. Who doesn’t love dogs? If you’re a United States citizen, right? And you like democracy, then you don’t like fascism. Everybody who loves democracy is technically Antifa.”— MSNBC contributor Jason Johnson on MSNBC’s The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle, October 13.    2. Kathy Griffin: Trump and “Professional Nazi” Elon Musk Stole the Election  “I don’t think he [Donald Trump] won in a free and fair election. You heard me. I’m coming out and saying it myself. I don’t care if that means I look crazy because Elon Musk – who’s this other Nazi guy running around town who owns X….He’s a professional Nazi in my humble opinion. And he’s good friends with Trump….He was giving out million-dollar checks to people if they would vote for Trump. That’s illegal. It’s unconstitutional and illegal.”— Comedian Kathy Griffin on her podcast Talk Your Head Off with Kathy Griffin, October 15.   3. Bette Midler Sings to Stephen Colbert: “You Never Kissed the Orange Ass” “It must have been cold here at The Late Show, despite the high ratings and awards. You need a gig that’s more worthwhile now that you’re more in demand than Epstein’s file. Did you ever know that you’re my Frodo? You stand for what’s right with wit and class. Thank you. And I hold you high as the great eagles ‘cause you never kissed the orange ass.”— Actress/singer Bette Midler singing to the tune of “Wind Beneath My Wings” to Stephen Colbert on CBS’s The Late Show, October 14.      Funded by James P. Jimirro

Failed gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams (D) founded a pair of voter turnout groups over a decade ago with the apparent aim of registering largely Democrat-leaning, non-white voters across the Peach State.The groups, the New Georgia Project — for which Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock was listed as CEO on corporate filings in 2017, 2018, and 2019 — and the associated New Georgia Project Action Fund, reportedly knocked on millions of doors, registered tens of thousands of voters, and were credited with helping turn Georgia blue during the 2020 presidential election.Abrams' New Georgia groups, which turned out to be as corrupt as they were energetic, have finally been shuttered.'There is one less way for Stacey Abrams Inc. to fleece people and get rich.'NGP and NGP Action Fund — which sought to help Abrams in her pursuit of power, sided with alleged domestic terrorists in 2023, and campaigned against election integrity initiatives — were slapped in January with a $300,000 fine, which the Georgia State Ethics Commission indicated was both the largest fine it has ever imposed and possibly also "the largest Ethics Fine ever imposed by any State Ethics Commission in the country related to an election and campaign finance case."The groups, which Abrams supposedly walked away from in 2017, admitted to violating 16 state laws, largely by illegally contributing to Abrams' 2018 gubernatorial campaign while masquerading as a nonpartisan voter turnout group.RELATED: Conservative SCOTUS justices appear skeptical about race-based redistricting Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty ImagesThe ethics commission found that the NGP failed to disclose over $4.2 million in contributions and over $3.2 million in expenditures during the 2018 election cycle, prompting House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (R-Mo.) to request that the Internal Revenue Service investigate and ultimately revoke the group's tax-exempt status."This represents the largest and most significant instance of an organization illegally influencing our statewide elections in Georgia that we have ever discovered," the ethics commission noted at the time of the fine's imposition.With the ruse both exposed and admitted, Abrams' groups were evidently not long for this world.The board of directors for the NGP and NGP Action Fund indicated in a statement on Thursday that both scandal-plagued groups "will officially dissolve as organizations."Despite their groups' flagrant violation of state law and the allegation that the board unlawfully fired employees in retaliation for their unionization efforts, the board wrote, "Reflecting on our journey, we are proud of the milestones we have achieved, the communities we have engaged, and the countless individuals whose lives have been strengthened by our work."James Woodall, board chair of the NGP Action Fund, said the news of the groups' dissolution was "difficult," and implored "all who continue in the fight" to "stay grounded, keep the faith, and don't come down from the wall."Garrison Douglas, a spokesman for Georgia Governor Brian Kemp (R), said in a statement to Blaze News, "Georgians everywhere can rest easy tonight knowing that there is one less way for Stacey Abrams Inc. to fleece people and get rich."Blaze News has reached out to Abrams and Warnock for comment.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

An Austin, Texas, police officer who was caught on video last week punching a male in face and knocking him flat on his back has been named by the department and taken off the street, KVUE-TV reported.Earlier this week, Blaze News highlighted a video showing what appeared to be that officer seeming to throw a single punch — and a male crumpling to the ground and lying flat on his back a second later.'I know that Chief Davis will take appropriate action, including action that leads to termination.'But that clip from a KXAN-TV story about a "crowd control" incident last Friday night on Sixth Street shows just one angle of the officer's apparent single punch.The KVUE video report, however — which ran Thursday night — shows a much closer view of the incident from a front-facing angle. It clearly shows the officer throwing a face punch at a male dressed in an orange shirt, blue jeans, and a backward white baseball cap — and that male falling to the ground and lying flat on his back.Austin police didn't tell KVUE what led up to that punch, but the station said police confirmed it was the incident that resulted in one officer being placed on restricted duty and taken off patrol. The department identified him as Officer Garcia but did not release his first name, citing policy, KVUE reported.You can view that punch at the 24-second mark in the below KVUE video report.RELATED: Video: Texas cop appears to throw single punch — and a male is flat on his back a second later The KVUE video report also notes another incident that same night involving Austin police throwing punches.A KVUE story that ran earlier this week indicated the station received a pair of videos of a second incident "from witnesses at the scene. Both videos show an officer on top of a person, appearing to punch them numerous times. Another officer, who is holding a separate person down, then assists the first officer, putting his knee on the back of the person being held down and appearing to throw a punch at him."Interestingly, a KVUE video report of that second incident shows a male dressed in an orange shirt, blue jeans, and a backward white baseball cap — apparently the same one who was knocked flat on his back in the video of the single-punch incident — standing off to the side and watching the officers punch the male on the ground:RELATED: Texas murder suspect's bail reduced from $800,000 to $200; he's released after paying cash. Gov. Abbott is not happy. In another KVUE story, the station said it obtained documents from the District Court of Travis County revealing more information about what took place in the second incident caught on video.The station said Austin Police Officer Leger was working in the downtown area when he heard a radio call reporting a "physical altercation" outside the Voodoo Room nightclub. With that, Officer Leger and Officer Garcia responded to the scene, where two men reportedly were fighting, KVUE said.The station, citing court documents, reported that Officer Leger tried to break up the fight when he was struck in the back of the head, after which he "executed a controlled takedown maneuver" on one of the men, who allegedly resisted. KVUE noted that the court documents indicate Officer Leger struck the man in the face several times in response.Documents added that a crowd reportedly formed around the officers, and people began throwing objects and pushing and kicking, the station said.KVUE reported that the male accused of attacking Officer Leger was identified as 19-year-old Johnny Acuña-Jacobo, and he was arrested on a charge of assault on a peace officer, a second-degree felony, and booked into the Travis County Jail on a $10,000 bond. The Austin-American Statesman on Tuesday reported that Acuña-Jacobo had been released on bond.RELATED: 69-year-old stabs man in butt after leg press run-in at gym, cops say. Suspect then reportedly yells, 'Who else wants some?' Police previously indicated that an officer was placed on restricted duty but did not state which officer and for which incident.Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis in a statement to KXAN early Saturday said "last night, an Austin police officer struck an individual during a crowd control incident on Sixth Street. After reviewing the video footage, I share the community's concern and take this matter very seriously. The officer has been removed from patrol and placed on restricted duty pending a thorough investigation."Austin Mayor Kirk Watson (D) released the following statement Saturday to KXAN: “I have seen the video of an Austin Police officer on Sixth Street last night. The action is inexcusable and indefensible. There is no room in APD for such violent behavior or for someone who claims to be a public servant and acts that way. I know that Chief Davis will take appropriate action, including action that leads to termination. Again, there is no room for such offensive, ridiculous action."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!