Warning: This review contains spoilers for the Amazon series “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” Season 2. The second season of Amazon’s “Rings of Power” somehow managed to be worse than the first season of the show, which is a rather high bar. The first season showed a disrespect for J.R.R. Tolkien’s world, but this season made things worse. It seems as if the showrunners don’t understand the basics of fantasy—or even storytelling. Before I get into the great sins of the season, I’ll address a few smaller quibbles. The second season introduced “the Faithful,” a religion in the kingdom of Numenor, and failed to give even the slightest taste of what the religion involves. It also introduced the barrow-wights (which the Peter Jackson movie adaptation of Tolkien’s “The Fellowship of the Ring” cut out). There’s just one problem: the barrow-wights shouldn’t exist until far in the future of Middle Earth, because the person responsible for them—the Witch King of Angmar—hasn’t received his ring of power yet. It also presented the Palantiri, the seeing stones that made a big appearance in “The Lord of the Rings,” as corrupted when they don’t become corrupted until far in the future. Yet these sins against Middle Earth pale in comparison to the great solipsisms of storytelling the show commits. 1. Sauron Everyone and their mother in this show somehow knows that Sauron (the main villain in “The Lord of the Rings”) represents a vast ethereal evil on the horizon, yet the show doesn’t bother to give the audience a reason to fear Sauron. Charlie Vickers gives Sauron a great presence on the silver screen, but the show’s horrible writing prevents the audience from truly fearing him. Season 2 opens with a scene in which Sauron gives a speech to orcs, and Adar (Sam Hazeldine) proceeds to betray him, killing him with the very crown he was supposed to receive. Adar’s motive for that remains unclear, and Sauron transforms into a black goo—rightly mocked online as “Soupron”—only to slowly reemerge after eating a centipede, a rat, and a person. The showrunners seemed to think this scene provided a cool backstory for the ultimate villain, but in reality, it made the audience see Sauron as impotent, unimpressive, and rather comical. “The Rings of Power” never spends time giving the brief mythic backstory of evil in Middle Earth, and it suffers for it. The Peter Jackson adaptation of “The Lord of the Rings” begins with an excellent introduction to the world and the evil of Sauron, and it presents him as powerful and wicked, doing the work to establish the villain the audience almost never sees throughout that film trilogy. “The Rings of Power,” by contrast, never gives the impressive and dark backstory, instead presenting Sauron as a schemer and deceiver. Only in a later episode of Season 2 does the audience see Sauron’s true power to deceive through illusions—and by then, the audience can’t help but think of Sauron as a pitiful pile of black goo. 2. The Orcs “The Lord of the Rings” and Tolkien’s Legendarium always presented orcs as evil. They are fundamentally corrupt, and the audience should cheer when heroes slaughter them. “The Rings of Power” attempts at many points to humanize them, showing orcs with families and having one orc plead with the orc leader Adar to stop leading them to war. In storytelling, subverting the audience’s expectations can be very powerful. Suddenly suggesting that characters the audience thought of as mindless drones are actually human beings with wills and lives can be effective, if the storytellers commit and actually strive to make a point. Similarly, redemption arcs can strongly resonate with audiences, and if an orc truly rejected evil and could somehow be redeemed, that might be an interesting story. “The Rings of Power” never pursues either of these avenues. Instead, it resorts to a cheap trick, as the orc who expressed concern about the constant wars later betrays Adar in favor of Sauron, for no reasons given by the show. The humanization of orcs is nothing but a bait-and-switch in “The Rings of Power,” and it’s a particularly unsettling one. This narrative device suggests that Tolkien and the heroes have been wrong to cheer the deaths of orcs all along, and then it reverts to form as if nothing had changed. Suddenly, later in the season, the heroes are slaughtering orcs left and right, and it’s supposed to be noble again. Middle Earth is not the place to humanize orcs, and anyone remotely familiar with the source material should know that. 3. Why, Oh Why, Does Adar Hate Sauron? The main conflict in Season 2 revolves around the elf Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards) forging the rings of power in the city of Eregion, under Sauron’s influence, while Adar leads a huge orc army to attack Eregion and kill Sauron. Adar hates Sauron, for some reason, and he is even willing to team up with the elf heroine Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) to defeat him. Adar tells Galadriel that he wants to kill Sauron so that he can lead the orcs back into Mordor and no longer attack the other peoples of Middle Earth. Galadriel understandably does not believe him. At the end of the show, the orcs suddenly turn on Adar for no reason, just as Adar turned on Sauron for no reason at the beginning, killing him and pledging their fealty to Sauron. Adar’s No. 1 lieutenant carries out the killing blow, but the show never explains how Sauron got him to betray his master. The entire plot feels pointless and unearned. 4. A Completely Nonsensical Battle Episode 7, “Doomed to Die,” features the massive battle of Eregion, which pits the elves under Sauron’s control against the orcs under Adar. Other elves—Galadriel, Elrond (Robert Aramayo), and the High King Gil-Galad (Benjamin Walker)—arrive to fight against the orcs and save the city. While fantasy, as a genre, does require certain willing suspension of disbelief, such as the idea that magic exists and there are elves, orcs, trolls, etc., it doesn’t usually involve suspending the laws of physics. That, however, is exactly what this battle does. First, the orcs turn their trebuchets on a mountain, which immediately crumbles, causing huge boulders to fall into a river. These boulders somehow dam up the river completely, turning the river into dry ground. Yet anyone remotely familiar with rivers knows that not only is this a nearly impossible feat, but the riverbed would not immediately be dry—and it certainly wouldn’t be dry enough for the orcs, and then an army of elves on horseback—to march across it easily. Second, when the elves charge on their horses, they get within a few feet of the orcs before Elrond sees that the orcs have Galadriel hostage. In order to save Galadriel, Elrond brings the entire army of cavalry to an immediate halt before they would charge into the orcs. Note to the showrunners: That’s not how horses work. If the war horses are charging, and you try to pull them back, it’s going to take time for them to slow down, and most likely, they are just going to keep charging. Yes, Tolkien created a fantasy world where there are orcs, elves, dwarfs, hobbits, and more mythical creatures. But his horses never stopped being horses, his mountains never stopped being mountains, and his rivers never stopped being rivers. Fantasy requires the willing suspension of disbelief, but “The Rings of Power” requires the willing suspension of common sense. It’s a shame the name of Tolkien has any connection to this monstrosity. The post The 4 Great Sins of Season 2 of ‘Rings of Power’ appeared first on The Daily Signal.

United Airlines’ DEI committee head is also a trans-identifying male.

I don’t think hand-powered tools and utensils have ever really gone out of style. I know they have never lost their purpose, that’s for sure! 21 Primitive Tools And How To Use Them Now The power of primitive tools is starting to regain some popularity for many reasons. One of them being, what’s old to one is new to the next. There seems to be an increase of off-gridders, hikers, campers, survivalists and travelers which brings about this particular article. Whether these are tools you add to your collection just for back-up or for regular use, these 21 tools and appliances are worth checking out. For some, it may bring back memories and for others a new find, so let’s get started. Take a look at this handy infographic: Air Pumps – Hand or foot powered air pumps are a fantastic tool to have around. Before it was the norm for the average household to have air compressors in the garage, there were these simple pumps. You could use them to fill sports balls, bike tires, air mattresses, and even car tires although that took a little while. Hand air pumps are also really great to use when filling balloons at your next big party. Easy to use, lightweight, and simple to store. Grinding Wheel – The hand-powered grinding wheel is something that could be found in many workshops, some still use them today. These bad boys are great for sharpening knives, hatchets, and axes. It takes a little longer to sharpen something using the hand-powered grinding wheel. However, there’s a little more safety because you have more control of the action and force. Whereas the electric or fuel powered grinders have a tendency to snap tools or send them flying. Drills – There is a variety of hand drills that are just as effective as the battery powered drills. Sure, just as with many of the tools on this list the job may take a little longer to get done. However, when there’s no power source around or available there’s no problem. I do a little woodworking and building and I find it more enjoyable to use hand tools for my projects. These hand drills are pretty amazing. Saws – Hand saws are one of the more common hand tools used, even to fell trees. Scythe – Typically used as a Halloween prop and in scary movies but the scythe is actually a very useful tool on a farm or homestead. Farmers would reap the fields come early morning using a scythe. There’s no gas to use, smoke to smell, or loud engines whirring in your ear. There’s more of a connection between person and plant, that’s how I see it anyway. Bow Drills – A tool used for making fire but also for drilling holes. You could say this drill was the inspiration that lead to the invention of the Hand-powered drill. This drill is very primitive and uses sticks, twine or vine, and an arrowhead or sharp rock. The bow drill requires a little more work than a hand-drill but can be just as effective. Augers – The hand auger is the tool that was used for drilling holes for water wells and things of that nature. Augers come in many shapes and sizes and are designed to suit different terrain. Clocks & Timers: Before everything become battery powered or electric clocks and timers were all wind up. You can still buy them today, they are made to work using spring action so you just wind it up and when it’s time it will buzz. Wind-up alarm clocks were always fun to deal with and I find them easier to quiet than the electric versions.   The Next 12 Items Are Kitchen Appliances Mixers – Hand-powered mixers allow you to mix ingredients for cake batter and many other recipes. Appliances break all the time so having one of these on hand can save a meal. Living off of the grid taught me a lot about the old ways. Especially how they’re good for the modern age. Blenders – There’s nothing more annoying than blending up a margarita or a milkshake and the motor in the blender going out. With a little muscle power and a hand-powered blender your problems are solved. Beaters – I think using hand beaters for little things like eggs or whipping cream are better to have, especially when it comes time for clean up. You don’t have to take anything apart or unplug it, just wash it off in the sink. Kitchen Timers – Digital timers that are built into stoves are wonderful….if you’re in the kitchen when it beeps. These little crank timers can go anywhere with you. They are also usually much louder and ring longer than the electric versions. I love to put brownies in the oven and still be able to go work out in the garden. I just bring my timer along. Juice Press – Hand powered juice presses are efficient for making small batches of juice but they are also really awesome at zesting the fruits for you too. Pestle & Mortar – I make my own medicines and grow my own herbs having a pestle and mortar are amazing tools to have. It seems more organic to me to use hand tools. Butter Churn – Who doesn’t love old fashioned churn butter? Whip some up in small or large batches using the hand churn. Food Dehydrators – Using an old fashioned food dehydrator/drying rack seems to hold in more of the flavor than using the quick equipment. Food Processors – I remember the day I found out I could still make a nice pesto sauce off the grid. It makes camping trips and outings a little healthier because you can still bring the freshness to the table. Pasta Machine – There’s nothing nicer than making homemade pasta and rolling it out in the machine by hand. I think it adds a little touch of magic. Mandolin Slicer – Homemade chips are the bomb. Before I learned of the mandolin slicer I used a potato peeler, need I say more. Oil Press – Hand pressed oil is delicious. It seems to me that the slower methods to cooking and preparing foods hold in more of the flavors and goodness. Grinders: Meat and Grain – When the local butcher has some meat on sale for a steal it’s nice to get extra and grind your own meat into burger. If you are a fan of the old or a fan of the new, this list of hand powered tools and appliances might have something to show you that you’ve never considered. Sometimes it’s the hard work that brings about more of a humble feeling and satisfaction in what you’ve accomplished. Old school is the New school. Did you enjoy our post on the Power of Primitive Tools and Appliances? Let us know in the comments section below! The answer to food waste in this 206 year old process that every homesteader needs to know…. If you're a fan of bringing your homesteading back to the basics, check out our post on The Benefits of Using A Wood Burning Stove On Your Homestead! Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook!  

​Will Jill Stein's Success in Wisconsin Spoil Kamala Harris?

In case you couldn’t already tell, MSNBC (or more accurately, MSDNC) is trying to help Kamala Harris beat Donald Trump for President.  One producer now admits it’s the “Democratic party’s mouthpiece.” BREAKING: @MSNBC Producer Admits MSNBC Is 'Doing All They Can to Help’ the Harris Campaign During an undercover date with an OMG journalist, Basel Hamdan (@BaselYHamdan), a writer and producer for MSNBC’s show “Ayman,” (@AymanMSNBC) was asked what the network has done to assist… pic.twitter.com/y9Yk8o1UX7 — James O'Keefe (@JamesOKeefeIII) October 3, 2024 “Do you believe MSNBC is doing enough to help the Harris campaign?” an undercover OMG journalist asked Basel Hamdan, a writer and producer for MSNBC host, Ayman Mohyeldin.  “I mean… they’re doing all they can,” Hamdan, who thought he was on a Bumble date, responded.  “Which is what?” the journalist asked. “Amplify her (Kamala’s) message,” he answered. “What her message of the day is, is their message of the day,” Hamdan continued, calling MSNBC the “Democratic Party’s mouthpiece.” He even admits “they’ve made their viewers dumber over the years,” explaining that MSNBC is “too cozy with Democratic politicians.” “The anchor and the politician are in total agreement about everything,” Hamdan acknowledged, but anyone can watch them “finish each other's sentences” simply by turning on the network.  In fact, all you have to do is click on the latest segment posted to the X profile for Mohyeldin’s show, where you see him nodding in agreement as his guest claims she’d rather be “alone in a forest” with a bear than Trump. "If I had to choose between being alone in a forest with a bear or Donald Trump, I would choose the bear, every single time," says @feministabulous. "If there weren't men like Donald Trump in the world, women actually wouldn't require protection." pic.twitter.com/mk7WdKwQAV — AYMAN (@AymanMSNBC) September 30, 2024 But it seems the people who work behind the scenes, as OMG founder James O’ Keefe claimed, don’t even “believe in their product.”  Hamdan even admitted MSNBC has “brainwashed” their viewers, making them “dumber.”

House Republicans are escalating their investigation into the FBI’s role in enabling Big Tech censorship of the New York Post’s laptop exposé on the Biden family. This time, they focused on an FBI official who reportedly affirmed the laptop’s authenticity before it was censored in 2020. In a letter dated Sept. 26, 2024, House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) requested a transcribed interview with an unnamed FBI analyst who allegedly told Twitter moderators in 2020 that the laptop was “real.” However, the same official conveniently withheld the fact the bureau had been sitting on the computer since 2019, which they later used to indict Hunter Biden. “Even though the FBI had been in possession of this laptop for nearly a year and had verified the provenance of its contents, the FBI made the institutional decision to refuse to answer direct questions from social media companies about the laptop’s authenticity—despite months of constant information sharing up to that time,” wrote Jordan to the unnamed analyst, as first reported by the Post. Jordan referenced the July testimony of former FBI official Laura Dehmlow, who recounted a 2020 phone call exchange between Twitter and the unnamed FBI analyst. Dehmlow noted in her testimony that the analyst confirmed that the laptop was “real.” However, he was interrupted and silenced by another FBI official who added, “No further comment.” It isn’t immediately clear whether Dehmlow was a participant in the meeting.  #NEWS: @Jim_Jordan demands testimony from FBI analyst who told Twitter Hunter Biden laptop was ‘real’ pic.twitter.com/iHbsPJXpPd — House Judiciary GOP ?????? (@JudiciaryGOP) September 26, 2024 This happened around the publication time of the Post’s story about the laptop, contradicting then-presidential candidate Joe Biden's claims that he never discussed foreign business dealings with his son. Jordan suggested that the FBI’s inexplicable silence led Big Tech platforms to wrongly assume that the laptop and the Post story were part of a Russian disinformation campaign. This prompted social media companies to censor the newspaper just weeks before the 2020 election. “Put simply, after the FBI conditioned social media companies to believe that the laptop was the product of a foreign malign influence operation, the FBI stopped its information sharing, allowing social media companies to censor the Post story on the incorrect basis that it was Russian disinformation,” Jordan added. The Ohio congressman’s comments refer to the fact that the FBI had reportedly over 30 meetings with several Big Tech companies to sound the alarm about a potential “hack and leak” operation targeting the scandal-ridden Biden family, according to the Post.  The outlet reported that weeks after the FBI primed social media platforms with vague warnings, the Post released a bombshell report exposing that in 2015 Hunter Biden introduced his then-vice president father to a Burisma executive. Social media companies, almost unanimously, banned the story from their platforms in response. Big Tech executives later conveniently affirmed that they were concerned the laptop's story was part of the disinformation campaign first noted by the FBI. But the damage was already done as the censorship tipped the scales in Biden’s favor, according to a survey commissioned by the Media Research Center and conducted by The Polling Company. About 45.1 percent of Biden voters said they were unaware of the bombshell story, and approximately 9.4 percent of these voters affirmed they would not have voted for Biden if had they been aware of it. This margin could have been enough to sway the swing states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin in favor of Trump, securing his re-election. Related: Sen. Cotton, Rubio Echo MRC Call for Big Tech to Not Repeat 2020 Election Censorship Conservatives are under attack. Contact your representatives and demand that Big Tech be held to account to mirror the First Amendment while providing transparency, clarity on hate speech and equal footing for conservatives. If you have been censored, contact us using CensorTrack’s contact form, and help us hold Big Tech accountable.

CNBC anchor Andrew Ross Sorkin was taken aback that social media campaigns continue to rip diversity equity and inclusion initiatives out of major companies, with Toyota being the most recent.  During the Oct. 4 edition of Squawk Box, Sorkin expressed his astonishment that political commentator and podcast host Robby Starbuck had driven so much change at many companies. “It’s surprising. Every time this guy goes after them, the companies fold pretty quick,” he said. CNBC anchor Becky Quick also credited Starbuck for the end of DEI at Toyota and a number of other corporations, which cut ties with the radical pressure group Human Rights Campaign (HRC).  Sorkin’s remarks came a day after Starbuck announced on on X that Toyota and its subsidiary Lexus had agreed to end “involvement in pride parades, pride events or LGBTQ children’s summer camps.” Starbuck also wrote that the company will no longer “participate in the [HRC’s] woke Corporate Equality Index social credit system.” Moreover, Starbuck noted that Toyota and Lexus agreed to ensure that business resource groups would be open to any employee and would focus on business issues.  In the accompanying video, Starbuck celebrated his “100% strike rate on flipping these companies.” Since June 27, Ford, Molson-Coors, Tractor Supply, Harley-Davidson, Jack Daniel’s parent company Brown-Furman, Stanley Black & Decker, Caterpillar and Lowe’s have stepped away from DEI and the HRC. John Deere has also made some steps in that direction.  Starbuck has succeeded in driving a wedge between these companies and the radical leftist HRC. The HRC’s Corporate Equality Index (CEI) rates companies according to a set of radical demands including fully embracing transgenderism, allowing men in women’s bathrooms and offering “healthcare coverage for medically necessary transition-related care.” The podcast host mocked the rapidly declining LGBTQ+ pressure group and its befuddled president, Kelley Robinson. Starbuck pointed out that Robinson specifically lauded Lexus for showing up the HRC National Dinner on Sept. 7. During an absurd speech, Robinson tried to minimize the significance of so many major companies abandoning her organization by praising the loyalty of companies like Lexus.  I guess not. Huge news: Last week we exposed @Toyota + @Lexus for going woke and now just one week later they’re announcing BIG changes! Some highlights: • No more involvement in pride parades, pride events or LGBTQ children’s summer camps. • They will not participate in the @HRC’s woke… pic.twitter.com/eUp3aBT4wV — Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) October 3, 2024 A few days after the HRC National Dinner, Robinson spoke to Sorkin on Squawk Box, threatening defecting companies with a 25-point reduction of their CEI score (or as Starbuck calls it their “social credit system”). She also said that Ford was an outlier for ditching the HRC, as “every other major auto manufacturer in this country is participating in the CEI.”  Conservatives are under attack! Conservatives are under attack! Contact ABC News (818) 460-7477, CBS News (212) 975-3247 and NBC News (212) 664-6192 and demand they report on the dangers of leftist DEI ideology infecting corporate America.

Jack Smith's "October Surprise" was so overtly political and unethical that it was too much even for a senior legal analyst from a liberal network, CNN. The disgust by Elie Honig towards the antics of Jack Smith boiled over on Thursday in New York Magazine in an article whose title reflected Honig's opinion, "Jack Smith’s October Cheap Shot." ...Smith has essentially abandoned any pretense; he’ll bend any rule, switch up on any practice — so long as he gets to chip away at Trump’s electoral prospects. At this point, there’s simply no defending Smith’s conduct on any sort of principled or institutional basis. “But we need to know this stuff before we vote!” is a nice bumper sticker, but it’s neither a response to nor an excuse for Smith’s unprincipled, norm-breaking practice. (It also overlooks the fact that the Justice Department bears responsibility for taking over two and a half years to indict in the first place.) ...The way motions work — under the federal rules, and consistent with common sense — is that the prosecutor files an indictment; the defense makes motions (to dismiss charges, to suppress evidence, or what have you); and then the prosecution responds to those motions. Makes sense, right? It’s worked for hundreds of years in our courts. Not here. Not when there’s an election right around the corner and dwindling opportunity to make a dent. So Smith turned the well-established, thoroughly uncontroversial rules of criminal procedure on their head and asked Judge Chutkan for permission to file first — even with no actual defense motion pending. Trump’s team objected, and the judge acknowledged that Smith’s request to file first was “procedurally irregular” — moments before she ruled in Smith’s favor, as she’s done at virtually every consequential turn. Honig goes on to denounce Smith's grotesque misuse of grand jury testimony, which is supposed to remain secret prior to a trial, in his very public legal filing. ...Smith now uses grand-jury testimony (which ordinarily remains secret at this stage) and drafts up a tidy 165-page document that contains all manner of damaging statements about a criminal defendant, made outside of a trial setting and without being subjected to the rules of evidence or cross-examination, and files it publicly, generating national headlines. You know who’ll see those allegations? The voters, sure — and also members of the jury pool. Finally, Honig slams Smith for violating the DOJ policy of not taking any action before an upcoming election that may affect its outcome. ...Smith’s conduct here violates core DOJ principle and policy. The Justice Manual — DOJ’s internal bible, essentially — contains a section titled “Actions That May Have an Impact on the Election.” Now: Does Smith’s filing qualify? May it have an impact on the election? Of course. So what does the rule tell us? “Federal prosecutors … may never select the timing of any action, including investigative steps, criminal charges, or statements, for the purpose of affecting any election.” Remember, Smith begged the judge to flip the rules on their head so he could file this document first, and quickly — “any action,” by any reasonable definition — with the election right around the corner. Anyone who objected to James Comey’s outrageous announcements about the Hillary Clinton email investigation on the eve of the 2016 election should feel the same about Smith’s conduct now. What’s the distinction? Both violated ordinary procedure to take public steps, shortly before an election, that plainly would have an impact on that election. I’m going to hand this one over to one of DOJ’s most esteemed alums, who explained it this way to the Justice Department’s internal watchdog: “To me if it [an election] were 90 days off, and you think it has a significant chance of impacting an election, unless there’s a reason you need to take that action now, you don’t do it.” Those words were spoken by Sally Yates — former deputy attorney general, venerated career prosecutor, no fan of Trump (who unceremoniously fired her in 2017), and liberal folk hero. As usual, Yates is spot on. And her explanation conveys this indelible truth: If prosecutors bend their principles depending on the identity of their prey, then they’ve got no principles at all. Hopefully the people working at CNN will take note of what their own senior legal analyst wrote on the subject of Jack Smith's (lack of) ethics and keep it in mind when commenting on his October Surprise.

A parental rights group and Christian scholars are criticizing the new requirements for a teaching license in Minnesota.