Let's Get Ready To Rafah

In a quiet suburb of Las Vegas‚ a family’s encounter with the unexplained has turned their lives into a series of unsettling experiences. It all started on April 30th last year‚ when an unidentified object plummeted from the sky and landed in their backyard. The incident‚ which was promptly reported to the police‚ was accompanied by sightings of large‚ otherworldly beings described as having “big eyes” and “shiny eyes‚” and standing at an imposing height of 8 to 10 feet. “There’s like an 8-foot person beside [the object] and another one is inside us and it has big eyes and it’s looking at us – and it’s still there‚” he told the dispatcher at the time. “They’re very large. They’re like 8 foot‚ 9 feet‚ 10 foot. They look like aliens to us. Big eyes. They have big eyes. Like‚ I can’t explain it‚ and big mouth. They’re shiny eyes and they’re human.” “They’re 100% not human.” The family’s testimony was supported by several other witnesses‚ and the event caught the attention of The American Meteor Society. They suggested a meteor as the cause of the sightings‚ a theory supported by 21 similar reports from the regions of California‚ Nevada‚ and Utah. However‚ this explanation did not sit well with everyone‚ leaving room for speculation and doubt. Now‚ a year later‚ Angel Kenmore‚ the teenager who initially reported the event‚ has come forward with new claims in an interview with News Nation. He suggests that the entity he saw might have been a “demon‚” and reveals that his family has been experiencing ongoing paranormal phenomena. Objects in their home seem to move on their own‚ with a Christian cross reported to have floated upside-down and a Jesus figurine violently displaced. These continuous paranormal occurrences have left the family searching for answers and coping with a reality that seems to be ripped from the pages of science fiction. For a more detailed account‚ Angel Kenmore’s interview can be viewed‚ providing a firsthand perspective on these chilling events. The post Las Vegas family reports paranormal activity after mysterious UFO crash appeared first on Anomalien.com.

At Elephant Nature Park in Thailand‚ a heartwarming scene unfolds as Chaba‚ a baby elephant‚ experiences her first bath in a bathtub. This delightful moment has captured the hearts of millions‚ quickly becoming a viral sensation. The video‚ boasting 5.9 million views‚ showcases Chaba’s infectious joy as she splashes around‚ clearly reveling in the new... The post Baby elephant filled with joy as she enjoys a bath for the 1st time appeared first on Animal Channel.

Ubisoft is not the most popular video game publisher these days. Popular search results for “Why is Ubisoft —” tend to point you toward “so bad‚” “not working‚” or “hated.” Regardless‚ the game maker best known for Assassin’s Creed‚ Rainbow Six‚ Far Cry‚ and Watchdogs notched a huge win by landing itself a Star Wars game: Star Wars Outlaws. Star Wars is a highly coveted IP‚ and after being mishandled for a decade by Electronic Arts‚ the rights to Star Wars were opened back up to studios with winning game ideas for Lucasfilm. Ubisoft’s Star Wars Outlaws drops in August‚ but already the storm clouds of gamer resentment are gathering for Star Wars’ “first-ever” open-world title. Gamers aren’t happy with the announcement of tiered pricing for Outlaws‚ ranging from $69.99 to $129.99. In many ways‚ video game consumers are underserved when it comes to game quality‚ pricing‚ and choice‚ but anger around Star Wars Outlaws is misplaced. Like with most rage directed at game developers‚ price is the sticking point for consumers and Star Wars fans waiting to play Outlaws. Ubisoft is offering different editions of the game starting at $69.99 for the base game and a pre-order bonus that includes cosmetic customization for your character’s speeder: $109.99 for that plus three days of early access before launch and a “Season Pass” for upcoming DLC expansions to the game. DLC stands for downloadable content and is usually extra quests‚ new storylines‚ and experiences. For $129.99‚ consumers can get all of this as well as a digital concept art book for the game and more cosmetic “skins” for your player and vehicles. Lastly‚ Ubisoft offers Outlaws at $17.99 per month with its Ubisoft+ subscription‚ which gives subscribers access to all the perks plus 100+ other games from the company's library. FandomWire called Outlaws tiers an “atrocious pricing strategy‚” and the Gamer ran an article saying it was “slimy” and “Star Wars Outlaws has no business charging over a hundred dollars for Ultimate and Gold editions.” What all of this really means is that the game itself costs $70‚ and if a gamer deeply desires a pink gun mod‚ a Han Solo costume for the player's character‚ a concept art PDF‚ and 72 hours of early access to the game‚ then gamers can purchase those things. This complaint encapsulates the long-running debate concerning pay-to-win tactics over rewards tied to merit. Image courtesy of Ubisoft DLCs are different. Game expansions used to be a la carte by design. A game would launch‚ it would hopefully be successful‚ and there would be a clear market demand for more content to be added to the game to keep players engaged. Star Wars Galaxies was an early Star Wars massive multiplayer online game with a remarkable base game‚ then a steady stream of DLC expansion packs that opened up new worlds and quests for players. They were usually around $25 apiece‚ and over the course of Galaxies’ run‚ you might have bought four of these DLCs before the game’s servers shut down in 2011. Gamers are tired‚ and it’s understandable. AAA games from major studios are coming out very slowly‚ and they are increasingly being released in hasty fashion with work still to be done through digital updates. Ubisoft has slipped into this on a number of occasions. On top of that‚ you have the trend of in-game transactions and loot crates changing the relationship between gaming and rewards to be tilted in favor of those willing to pay for perks. This is what won Star Wars Battlefront the most downvoted post in Reddit history at the time it was made. However‚ it is impossible to ignore that making games is not a cheap business any more. The resources needed to produce these games are only increasing. The demands of online multiplayer gaming with vast expansive worlds have led to games functioning almost like living documents that receive updates and expansions‚ requiring continuous revenue to fund the servers bearing the weight of the game’s success. The way publishers have kept prices down to date has been through the very models that gamers are frustrated by. The world of video games has changed. Gone are the simple days of video game cartridges and disc collections. No studio has perfected a business model that’s both profitable and well liked by consumers in the digital age of gaming. However‚ a world without tiered pricing options would only further exacerbate identified problems‚ leaving gamers worse off in the process. Originally published in AMP America.

Back again from my weekly Trader Joe’s haul‚ and I just have to share one of my favorite life hacks for a delicious and protein-rich lunch that I serve my family at least once a week. I lived in China for some time and‚ as so many expats do‚ fell in love with the cuisine. Probably every day‚ and for the American equivalent of a couple of dimes‚ I ate jiaozi: dumplings‚ usually containing ground pork with cabbage‚ wrapped in a thin rice paper and steamed or fried. For years after returning home‚ I thought of them and could only find the really authentic type in the kind of Chinese restaurant that usually has lower Yelp reviews because the owner‚ being actually Chinese‚ doesn’t care a bit for American-style customer service. Trader Joe’s sells the closest thing you’ll find to an authentic Chinese dumpling in an American grocery store (unless you find an Asian market that isn’t primarily Vietnamese). In the frozen section‚ you’ll find “Pork Gyoza Potstickers.” They can be steamed‚ fried‚ or microwaved‚ but this is how I prepare them to make an incredibly easy‚ nutritious‚ and cheap meal that everyone enjoys. Note: The soup ends up a little ethnically ambiguous on account of the kimchi‚ which adds the cruciferous vegetables and probiotic fermented goodness that I like to include in every meal I can. I also add gelatin‚ as I am wont to do‚ for the protein and collagen that helps our bodies repair and build healthy muscle‚ skin‚ and hair. Sometimes I also add butter‚ ginger‚ or garlic‚ for similar reasons. This recipe is highly customizable according to the health concerns of you or your family. Go crazy. Ingredients 5 tablespoons grass-fed beef gelatin (I love the Zen Principle brand) 1 cup cold water 1 bag of Trader Joe’s Pork Gyoza Potstickers 1 container (32 fl. oz.) organic free-range chicken broth 1 cup kimchi Instructions Allow your gelatin to bloom in the cold water. On the stovetop‚ heat chicken broth to a boil. Deposit dumplings. Boil for 2-3 minutes. Bring heat down. Add gelatin. Stir until combined. Add kimchi. Stir until combined. Enjoy&;#33; Serves four hungry people.

The Senate’s Democratic majority made quick work last week of Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas’ impeachment trial. After several procedural votes‚ both articles of impeachment were voted down on mostly party lines. And just like that‚ the people’s check on executive power was silenced.Republicans in the House charged Mayorkas with two articles of impeachment‚ alleging he “willfully and systemically refused to comply with Federal immigration laws” and “knowingly made false statements and knowingly obstructed lawful oversight of the Department of Homeland Security.”By gagging the opposition‚ Chuck Schumer and his colleagues have aligned themselves with the disgraced Democrats of the antebellum period.House Republicans acted well within the Constitution’s strictures. Article II‚ Section 3 of the Constitution instructs the executive branch to “take care that the laws be faithfully executed.” Should the executive department ignore or obstruct the law‚ Article I‚ Section 2 gives the House “the sole power of impeachment‚” namely‚ the ability to charge officials who disregard the law‚ the Constitution‚ and will of the people.Article I‚ Section 3 gives senators “the sole power to try all impeachments.” The House levels the charges‚ and the Senate holds the trial to decide whether the official misconduct is serious enough for a conviction and removal.The House is supposed to represent the people’s interests. In our present partisan era‚ however‚ the House represents the Republican Party. The Senate represents the states’ interests. In reality‚ however‚ it represents the Democratic Party today.Regardless of party‚ the American people are largely disappointed in the Biden administration’s immigration policy. Speaking through the House‚ the people have challenged that policy to no avail. The lack of honest dialogue between the administration and the House led to the impeachment of Mayorkas.Dividing the responsibility of impeachment between the House and Senate requires honest communication‚ too. When one party silences the other‚ that is a sign of deep dysfunction.Democrats have silenced their opponents beforeDuring the antebellum period‚ the Union was tested. The relationship between the states and the people of the states was divided into parties: the slaveholders and the non-slaveholders. The slaveholding faction concentrated its power into the newly formed Democratic Party.The non-slaveholders continuously petitioned the House to debate slavery. Rep. James Henry Hammond proposed the idea of a rule to silence debate on the issue. Speaker of the House and future President James K. Polk placed the issue into a committee led by South Carolina Rep. Henry L. Pinckney. The result was the passage of the 21st rule‚ later known as the “gag rule‚” which tabled or postponed consideration of all petitions related to slavery with no discussion. During the antebellum period‚ the slaveholders' interests won out. Their interest in slavery wasn’t merely economic. It was about power. The three-fifths compromise gave slaveholders additional power in Congress. Fearful of debate‚ they used their extra power to extend their interests and silence dissent. The broken communication between the different interests of the Union and the brazen grasp for power by one party eventually led to the Civil War.A constitutional amendment did away with the three-fifths rule following the Civil War. Power was balanced in Congress between the states and the people. But as the nation grew during the Gilded Age and immigration caused the population to swell‚ a new source of power became the interest of the parties‚ and a new divide began to form.European immigrants came to America in search of a new and better life. The rise of industry required large manufacturing plants and the need for labor. This was a perfect match. As immigrants would concentrate in cities‚ however‚ it tilted the representative power in the House. Instead of a divide between North and South‚ slaveholding and nonslaveholding‚ the divide was between urban and rural areas‚ large corporations‚ and small industries.A modern gag rule&;#63;The debate over immigration has lasted for generations and has produced few solutions. The Constitution requires the Census to count all persons for apportionment purposes. Trouble is‚ that incentivizes illegal immigrants to secure representative power. The pro-illegal immigration lobby has concentrated in the Democratic Party‚ and the anti-illegal immigration interests are represented (more or less) by the Republicans.Antebellum Democrats repeatedly used federal power to expand and protect the power and interests of slaveholders. Similarly‚ the modern Democratic Party‚ abetted by the likes of Alejandro Mayorkas‚ has allowed an explosion of illegal immigration‚ which increases the representative power of those in sanctuary cities.And so much like the antebellum Democrats‚ the modern Democrats silenced debate‚ saying the articles of impeachment against Mayorkas were “unconstitutional.”Regardless of where one falls in the debate on immigration or the interests of the parties‚ Congress has a constitutional responsibility to check the executive branch’s power and ensure the people’s law is executed faithfully. By gagging the opposition‚ Senate Majority Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and his colleagues have aligned themselves with the disgraced Democrats of the antebellum period‚ placing the interests of their party above the interests of the states and the people.

A report from the field For reasons I’m not entirely clear on‚ I happen to be someone who often finds himself in wildly different social circles through Facebook groups‚ email lists‚ and IRL gatherings. And when I say “wildly different‚” I mean woke media and academic types‚ so-called TERFs and third-wave feminists‚ anarchists‚ MAGA‚ new right‚ tradcaths‚ rationalists‚ postrats‚ classical liberals‚ and more. If you have thoughts on some fringe‚ I’ve probably been in its group chat or at an event in the past two years. (Except tankies — I draw the line there.) Why it is that I somehow end up circulating in all these niches is a weird topic for another day‚ but the point of this piece is not to brag about my network but to report on a phenomenon I’ve observed at work in many of these groups: People are turning on each other over sex. Honestly‚ I’ll just go ahead and say it: &;quot;ladypenis is not actually real&;quot; is a profoundly weird confession for a group to come together over. This is so wild to me that it has taken me a long time to come around to admitting that every group everywhere on the political and social map seems to be crisscrossed by the same set of unstable fault lines around sex and related issues of gender‚ porn‚ prostitution‚ stripping‚ drag‚ and the rest of the rainbow. I’ve seen groups on the left and the right turn on each other over the exact same handful of issues — mostly around porn and sex‚ especially with regard to minors. That infamous New York Post story on the high school “porn literacy” class&;#63; I’ve found Jacobin types and Reason types on both sides of the following question: Is that class an appropriate‚ mature society’s response to the present ubiquity of smartphone porn‚ or is it an offense against man and God that should probably see some folks go to prison&;#63; Feelings about sex are a spectrum I wish I could give more color on the various lefty and righty versions of the Big Sex Split I’ve seen play out over and over again in the past two or three years‚ but I can’t because I wasn’t in those venues to report on them and those aren’t my stories to tell. But you’ve all seen this kind of thing by now‚ no doubt‚ so you know how it goes. What I can do‚ however‚ is characterize the way I’ve seen this split play out more generally — and especially on what’s now being called “the new right.” (I guess I’m now on the new right&;#63; I know a lot of people who are in that category‚ myself included now‚ but none of us seem to know what “the new right” is.) In my experience‚ which‚ as I said above‚ is quite varied‚ I’ve seen the reactions to what we might call “pride-coded‚” sexualized practices involving kids fall along the following spectrum: It’s compulsory. To not involve your kids in this is to teach them to hate. It’s good‚ actually. Eh‚ it’s fine. Whatever. Why do you care&;#63; It’s gross‚ but people should be able to decide for their own kids. It’s gross‚ and theoretically‚ we’d like it to stop‚ but we don’t see a viable strategy for shutting it down that doesn’t also violate other principles we care about. So what can you do&;#63; It’s gross‚ and we will stop it ASAP by any means necessary‚ leaving no power or capability or method on the table out of some misguided commitment to principle. The only principle at work here is: You don’t get to do whatever the hell this is. In my time in varied lefty and righty circles‚ I have absolutely seen all six of these points of view articulated and affirmed. I’ve even seen #6 crop up in extremely woke circles around straight-coded sexualized practices involving kids (child beauty pageants‚ purity balls‚ conversion therapy). My thesis is that where you fall on the above spectrum of sex reactions is now far more important for sorting you into a tribe than any other issue in any other sphere (politics‚ economics‚ religion‚ etc.). People are asking if we're post-liberal‚ but the sex controversies have me wondering if we're not almost post-ideological. In the age of outrage‚ we're all the way back to drawing our primary identity lines around animal basics. Take this quiz&;#33; So where exactly do you fall&;#63; I’ve found that you can take any sexy or sexualized practice‚ event‚ or spectacle‚ run it through the above sex reaction spectrum‚ and which bucket you end up in will determine who your people are and which members of your own scene you’re willing to tolerate vs. which members you want to purge. Here’s a sample list of scissors to run through the above list and see where you land: Drag Queen Story Hour Drag Brunch for kids Kids putting dollar bills into strippers’ thongs‚ doing pole dancing with strippers‚ or some other sex-work-related activity Schoolbooks that present sex work to kids as just another kind of work Pride parades with kink on full display and kids present and even participating Drag kids Child beauty pageants Evangelical purity balls Gay conversion therapy Porn use by teens (especially 16 and up‚ since 16 is where I’ve seen some lefties drawing the porn age line lately) (I threw a few right-wing ones there just to mix it up. But you get the idea.) For any given scene you’re in‚ no matter what it’s nominally centered on or what its professed norms and commitments are‚ you can reliably toss out one of the items in the list above and watch people turn on each other like Greek gods over a golden apple. You know I’m telling the truth because you’ve seen it too‚ haven’t you&;#63; Indeed‚ nowadays‚ whenever I find someone I really vibe with‚ I’m always mildly terrified I’m going to find out they’re on a part of the sex-reactions spectrum on one of these issues that I simply cannot tolerate or that I’m on a part of it they can’t tolerate. Even more terrifying for me as a parent is the thought that one or more of my kids will end up on the opposite side of some schism from me. These splits are happening so often that I now believe there is no existing coalition‚ polity‚ scene‚ or tribe of any size or level of diversity that has not or will not eventually shatter into subgroups based on the spectrum. Feminists have split over whether biological sex matters for women’s oppression. New Atheists have split over biological sex’s reality. Christians have long been divided into “affirming” and non-affirming camps on gay marriage. Classical liberals are often bitterly divided over whether restrictions on internet porn are an unacceptable infringement on liberty (resulting from an '80s-style “moral panic”) or regrettably necessary to the continued functioning of civilization. The evangelical right is split over whether Drag Queen Story Hour should be permitted by law on pluralist grounds or should be outlawed on “holy cow‚ David French‚ are you for real with this&;#63;&;#33;” grounds. Whenever I find myself in a new scene‚ I immediately start trying to sniff out where on the spectrum different clusters of members fall‚ because those are the splinter groups that will form when the whole thing inevitably blows up over some sex scissor. Strange bedfellows One of the more bizarre effects of this shattering and fracturing is how these schisms bring former enemies together into social formations that are so surreal they have to be experienced IRL to be believed. You can walk into some “based” or “new right” events nowadays and encounter an incredible variety of ethnicities‚ religions‚ classes‚ and economic ideologies‚ but they’re all united in the following deeply held conviction: There is absolutely no such thing as “ladypenis‚” and if you’re telling kids there is‚ then you should definitely not be allowed to do that and you should probably also be on some kind of watch list. Honestly‚ I’ll just go ahead and say it: “Ladypenis is not actually real” is a profoundly weird confession for a group to come together over. It’s pretty gonzo‚ right&;#63; Yet here we are … and‚ honestly‚ here I am. I fit right in. You can feel the weirdness‚ too‚ when you’re at some gathering and you’re like‚ “Wow‚ look at this crowd … surely there has to be something that brings these folks together besides their willingness to publicly confess that ladypenis is a lie&;#63;” But right now‚ that’s often enough. A ray of hope&;#63; The beast is coming for all of us eventually. As long as the social graph is powered by advertising‚ it will continue to rage‚ and all of us will eventually run into one of two camps: “it is compulsory” or “it is illegal.” The center cannot hold‚ and if you think it can … well‚ have you seen the center lately&;#63; If there’s a ray of hope out there‚ I look for it in Musk’s subscription model. I think Musk correctly apprehends a dynamic I’ve covered in detail in my newsletter: The social media advertising machine feeds on engagement‚ and the best way to drum up engagement is to stimulate outrage. If he can move the revenue base away from the spiritually corrosive ad model to a model where users are paying for the value they get from the network‚ he has a shot at turning Twitter into a net benefit for society. Obviously‚ the incumbent class of successful outrage merchants hate this plan and have pilloried it since it was announced. That’s a good‚ crowd-sourced signal that what he’s doing might work. Because in any world where being a human scissor is a losing strategy‚ they’ll all fade back into well-deserved obscurity.

It's almost time to usher in a new era of AMD Ryzen CPUs with Zen 5 set to take the desktop and mobile markets by storm‚ with the latter segment proving particularly exciting following a recent specs leak. Documentation claiming to spill just shy of all the beans on 'Strix Point' APUs has come to light and one chip's iGPU looks to be so powerful that it could serve as a proper replacement for a budget graphics card. Continue reading New AMD CPUs could make some graphics cards obsolete‚ hints specs leak MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Ryzen 7 7800X3D review‚ Best gaming CPU‚ Radeon RX 7800 XT review

Two students were arrested.

The total fertility rate dropped to 1.62 births per woman last year‚ well below replacement level.