The post Litter Genie Easy Roll Pail Review 2024: Our Expert’s Opinion by Gabrielle McGhee appeared first on Catster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren't considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Catster.com. Click to Skip Ahead About the Litter Genie Easy Roll Pail Overview Key Features Is It A Good Value? FAQ Our Experience Our Final Verdict We give the Litter Genie Easy Roll Pail a rating of 4.95 out of 5 stars. Quality: 5/5 Ease of Setup: 4.9/5 Ease of Use: 4.9/5 Value: 5/5 Check Price at Litter Genie When my nephew was born in the ‘90s, I was amazed the first time I saw my sister change his diaper. It wasn’t because I had never seen a diaper changed – it was because of the Diaper Genie. That unassuming-looking pail next to the changing table that the dirty diaper disappeared into. Out of sight, out of mind! Never would I have guessed that one day I would be enjoying that same technology next to the litter box. But thanks to a long line of innovators, the Litter Genie is now a real option for cat owners everywhere. The story of today’s Litter Genie surprisingly started in the UK with a similar product for baby diapers, the precursor to today’s Diaper Genie. In 1999, American brand Playtex purchased Diaper Genie, and would later collaborate with baby-centric Canadian brand Angelcare to bring a similar product for cat litter to market, naming it, appropriately, the Litter Genie. So why would brands normally focused on women and children start making pet products? Well, to put it simply, it would be pretty silly to keep that Diaper Genie technology out of the rest of the home. In fact, Angelcare recently introduced the Compost Genie for the kitchen, and the Pet Genie for disposing of dog waste inside or outdoors. Angelcare is now selling their Genie line of self-contained disposal systems globally to make household dirty jobs a breeze. Anyone wanting a cleaner home with less effort should be adopting these air-tight, odor-locking pails into their lives. About the Litter Genie Litter Genie’s owner, the Quebec-based Angelcare, got its start way back in 1997 with new father Maurice Pinsonnault. His first product was a baby monitor, and the company only grew from there. In 2012, Angelcare teamed up with Diaper Genie’s manufacturer Playtex to introduce the kitty waste disposal pail known as the Litter Genie. Made in North America, the Litter Genie is available for purchase through multiple retail websites globally, as well as many brick-and-mortar locations. Today, the Genie brands are all owned by Angelcare, and the Litter Genie line features six convenient styles depending on your needs, including two extra-large versions for homes with multiple cats. Every pail is neutral in color and small enough to fit in a corner or under a countertop, making them unobtrusive and convenient to use. This innovative pet product is a must-have for cat owners everywhere, whether you have one sweet kitty or several. The simple yet genius design traps smelly waste products inside an odor-locking interior liner, while a sliding insert at the top seals the bag from the room air. No more searching for a plastic bag when it’s time to scoop the litter. No more frequent trips to the garbage can outside. And no more unpleasant odors around the litter box either. Whenever you see a lump in your cat’s litter: scoop, dump, and seal – you’re done! Easy Roll Pail Overview Check Price at Litter Genie Pricing The cost of any model of Litter Genie, as well as the bag refill cartridges, is shockingly affordable. Of course, prices will vary depending on which retailer you purchase from, but in general, a pail can be purchased for less than $40, and a refill insert is less than $20. There is certainly nothing cost-prohibitive about these products, further proof that every cat owner should have one. In fact, if you have litter boxes in multiple areas of your home, there’s no reason you can’t have a Litter Genie sitting next to each one. The current Amazon price as of June 2024 for the Litter Genie Easy Roll pail is $34.98, with its appropriate refill (which should last a single-cat household 6 months) costing just $18.10. Contents When you receive your Litter Genie Easy Roll Pail, you will not only receive the main canister, but also a litter scoop with a convenient holder that mounts to either side of the pail. Also included is a single roll of perforated liners, 24 bags in all, that is estimated by Litter Genie to last a single cat up to six months. And to help get you started, you will find an informational booklet with thorough instructions of how to assemble and use your new Litter Genie. There are detailed photos to go along with each step, but if you have difficulty with any part of the process, check out the brand’s official YouTube channel for easy-to-follow instruction videos. Warranty Litter Genie offers a 1-year warranty on all their pails, refills, and accessories. If you have an issue with any of their products within one year of purchase, click the HELP button on the brand’s website and submit your information for review. If the Litter Genie team accepts your warranty claim, they will issue a replacement part or product. This warranty only applies to items used under normal conditions and according to the manufacturer’s guidelines. It is also only applicable to customers in the USA and Canada. Replacement items will only be protected under the original warranty from the initial purchase date. Pros & Cons Pros Convenient size Neutral color Affordable Air-tight 99% recycled plastic Attached litter scoop holder Odor-locking liner Easy bag removal Perforated liner refills One bag lasts up to 8 days One refill roll lasts up to 6 months 1-year warranty Cons No carry handle No wheels on bottom Limited color options Warranted only in USA and Canada Key Features Check Price at Litter Genie Air-tight pail: On the front of this plastic pail is a sliding handle that pulls out to allow waste to fall into the interior plastic liner, then slides shut to effectively seal the bag from the room air. A hard plastic lid closes on top to further seal in any odors produced by the bag’s contents. Perforated, Odor-locking liner: The multi-layer interior liner bag is not only sturdy enough to resist rips and tears, but also incredible at locking in odors. The Easy Roll refill also has an important feature not available in Litter Genie’s other refill rolls – perforated segments. No more cutting, twisting, and tying when it comes time to replace the bag. Just tear at the perforated line and you’re good to go. Attached litter scoop holder: The Easy Roll Pail, like all Litter Genie models, comes with its own litter scoop, as well as a handy scoop holder that attaches to either side of the pail. This feature further ensures the cleanliness of the litter box area, as the dirty end of the scoop never has to touch anything besides the litter box contents and the inside of the scoop holder. Convenient size: The small size of the Easy Roll Pail makes it easy to store anywhere, even in tight spaces. At right about 17.5” tall, this pail can slide under a desk or countertop, or sit next to the litter box or in a corner without getting in the way. Whether you live in a large house or a small apartment, this Litter Genie pail is sure to be a perfect fit. Over 1-week waste capacity: For single-cat households, one Easy Roll bag should be able to hold up to eight days of waste, locking in odors for the duration. This makes the entire process of cleaning the litter box a breeze. You can scoop the litter box every time you notice a clump without worrying about what you’re going to do with the bag. Waste is stored until you’re ready to dispose of it. The 8-day timeline means you can address disposal whenever your normal cleaning day is for that area, whether it’s on your day off from work or on the weekend. Is the Litter Genie Easy Roll Pail a Good Value? At less than $40 to get started, and up to six months before a refill purchase is needed, the Litter Genie Easy Roll Pail is an incredible value. This time-saving litter disposal system not only makes litter box cleaning a much easier process for the human in the room, but it also encourages daily scooping compliance, meaning a cleaner box for your cat. Kitty will thank you for your investment! Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) How easy is the Litter Genie Easy Roll Pail to use? Very easy! The Easy Roll Pail comes with a detailed instruction booklet, but if you have any initial difficulty with the setup process, daily use, or learning how to remove the bagged waste from the pail, Litter Genie’s YouTube channel has a great instructional video. Once you’re all set up, just scoop the litter box, drop the soiled litter in the pail opening on top, and pull the handle on the front of the pail to let the waste fall into the bag. Pushing the handle back seals the bag until next time. When it comes time to change the bag, simply open the top to access the mouth of the bag, pull the bag out, and tear at the perforation underneath. Once you secure the new bag to the lip around the top of the open pail, you’re all set for the next eight days. Does it really lock in odors? Yes! The multi-layer plastic liner does a great job of locking in odors, but on top of this, the pail itself has an airtight design. No smells are getting out once the sliding handle seals the bag off and the outer lid is closed. How difficult is removal of the waste bag once full? Not difficult at all. Simply press the button on the front of the lid to open the pail and access the bag, then loosen the mouth of the bag from the lip of the pail opening and pull the full bag straight up. Once you remove the bag, the next bag is attached at the bottom via a perforated line – just tear it off and secure the mouth of the next bag to the lip of the pail. Our Experience With the Litter Genie Easy Roll Pail Check Price at Litter Genie A Litter Genie is the cat accessory I never knew I needed, and now can’t imagine living without. For the last 20 years, I’ve been using plastic grocery bags for my soiled kitty litter. Find a bag, inspect for holes, discard two or three bags before finding one with no tears, then on to the litter box. Once scooped, I find myself with a bag full of stinky clumps, and there’s no letting that sit around, so now I’m headed outside to the garbage can – something else that’s very stinky because it already has a pile of grocery bags inside it that are each full of a day’s worth of kitty clumps. Since getting the Litter Genie Easy Roll Pail, life has been different for both me and my cat, Luna! Instead of a cabinet full of crumpled plastic grocery bags, I now have a convenient way to keep the litter box clean – a sleek, unassuming contraption that sits next to Luna’s litter box in my guest bathroom. Setup was pretty straightforward using the included instruction manual. It took me a moment to correctly load my first refill cartridge of liners in the underside of the pail, as the rectangular box has to be positioned a certain way to be able to close the compartment. I also wasn’t initially attaching my scoop holder correctly to the side, so every time I opened the top of the pail, the holder fell off. I thought this was a design flaw until I watched Litter Genie’s YouTube video about the Easy Roll Pail – now I have the scoop holder attached correctly and it does not fall off at any time. The one missing feature I feel would improve the Easy Roll Pail would be wheels on the bottom or a convenient carrying handle for when I want to move the pail to a different location. Not only is the entire process of scooping the litter box super simple for me now as a kitty caretaker, but my cat Luna gets to enjoy a spotless litter box nearly 24/7. Every time I walk in the bathroom and see a clump in the box, or my cat’s footprints in the litter, I grab my Litter Genie scoop off the side of the pail and get to scooping! There’s no searching for a plastic bag, I just dump the soiled litter in the opening on top of the Litter Genie and pull out the sliding handle. Once the clumps drop into the bag, I slide the handle back to seal it off, and then close the lid. It really could not be any easier! And I love that I don’t have to immediately take the bag of my cat’s soiled waste outside. Old grocery bags do not lock in odors, but the Litter Genie Easy Roll Pail does. Now I can wait to take the full bag of soiled litter out to the garbage when I am doing my normal weekly cleaning of the bathroom. Conclusion The Litter Genie Easy Roll Pail makes human and cat lives better by ensuring cleanliness in and around the litter box. Not only does this clever waste disposal system save kitty guardians time and effort, but it is also reducing plastic waste around the planet. The pail is made of 99% recycled plastics, and the Easy Roll refill produces less plastic waste than other Litter Genie refills, an estimated 80% less! So the next time you go to the grocery store, make sure to take your reusable cloth grocery bags because you won’t need those plastic bags anymore. The post Litter Genie Easy Roll Pail Review 2024: Our Expert’s Opinion by Gabrielle McGhee appeared first on Catster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren't considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Catster.com.

News Street Fighter Street Fighter Movie Loses Directors, Gets Release Date “It is very powerful, my CLAAUUW!” By Vanessa Armstrong | Published on June 27, 2024 Credit: Capcom Comment 0 Share New Share Credit: Capcom The latest adaptation of the 1980s Capcom arcade game Street Fighter is still happening, even though the production lost the Talk to Me directors Danny and Michael Philippou earlier this month. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film from Legendary and Sony Pictures now has a release date of March 20, 2026. That’s the same date that the adaptation of Project Hail Mary starring Ryan Gosling comes out, which will make for a fun-filled day at the theater. It’s interesting to see the Street Fighter movie get a release date even though there’s currently not a publicly announced director attached. THR said that scheduling conflicts were partly to blame for the Philippous leaving the project, but that “partly” suggests that creative differences also came into play. The upcoming movie, however, seems to be a priority for Legendary and Capcom, who are co-developing and producing the feature. The video game has spawned many iterations over the decades (the image above is from a recent one), all of which feature fighters from different countries pummeling each other with creatively violent moves. This film also isn’t the first Street Fighter movie we’ve seen. In 1994, Jean-Claude Van Damme starred in an adaptation that received mixed reviews at best [ed note: but Raul Julia was BOSS as M. Bison], and in 2009, Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li came out and flopped both commercially and critically. No news yet on the plot of the latest Street Fighter movie, assuming it will have one, nor on who we’ll see taking on the Street Fighter personas that hold a fond place in the childhoods of many people of a certain age. [end-mark] The post <i>Street Fighter</i> Movie Loses Directors, Gets Release Date appeared first on Reactor.

Excerpts Epic Fantasy Read an Excerpt From H.M. Long’s Black Tide Son Epic adventure, intrigue and espionage, and fleet battles on the high-seas. By H.M. Long | Published on June 27, 2024 Comment 0 Share New Share We’re thrilled to share an excerpt from Black Tide Son, the second book in H.M. Long’s epic fantasy Winter Sea series—out from Titan Books on July 9th. Samuel and Mary are thriving as privateers on the Winter Seas. As they navigate the complexities of their growing bond, in a world that would see Mary as chattel to be traded, the pair are forging a new, better way to live, under the sails of Hart.But when their latest prize brings tales of Benedict’s capture by Mereish forces, they must make an impossible choice: to serve their nation or save Sam’s brother.Thrust into a mission of intrigue and infiltration, they seek to break into the most secure prison on the Mereish Coast. But as they sail deep into enemy territory, they find themselves hunted by a cunning and mysterious new foe—an enemy who seems to know their every secret, and who will kill to keep their own.As the Black Tide rises, and fleets take to the water, Samuel, Mary and Benedict are on a desperate race for survival—both their own, and the free nations of the Winter Seas. ONE The Demete SAMUEL The hush that followed the wind was portentous and thick with drifting smoke. The guns fell quiet in their cradles and the rush of water against the hull ebbed as Hart slowed, nosing alongside his drifting prize. No roar of victory came from the dozens of armed men and women crowding the waist of my ship. Neither I nor their former captain had been a miser for discipline, so their mutters were low, their muskets primed but at ease. Nor did I hear defiant or vengeful cries from the pirates on our prize’s deck, though they were slung about with pistols, cutlasses and machetes, and marksmen hung in their rigging. Outnumbered, outgunned and exhausted from two days’ pursuit, the flag flying from their mainmast was white, crosshatched with red—not a flag of surrender, but of parley. Their captain stood on the quarterdeck with two helmsmen, who cradled muskets and held their posts with resentment in their eyes. She called in accented Aeadine, “I am flattered you risk so much for my head, Aead,” as she came forward to lean on the rail, her voice easily carrying the dozen yards of docile waves between our ships. Her greying hair was braided, its length tied by a black silk ribbon, and she wore a felted, cocked hat with a blue overcoat faded to spruce. Her eyes were rimmed with black against the usual glare of sun off snow and ice and Winter Sea. The pirate continued with feigned apprehension, “Bringing the Fleetbreaker’s daughter into Mereish waters?” She gestured to the woman beside me, in her pale-blue calico skirts and oversized wool coat. Buy the Book Black Tide Son H.M. Long Buy Book Black Tide Son H.M. Long Buy this book from: AmazonBarnes and NobleiBooksIndieBoundTarget Mary Firth, daughter of the infamous Stormsinger known as the Fleetbreaker, had her arms crossed over her chest, but at this she raised one hand a margin and fluttered her fingers in a wave. She was tall and dark haired, her head uncovered to the wind in a way that no mother on the Winter Sea would condone. “She knows who I am?” Mary squinted at our would-be captive, speaking quietly to me. “We may soon be notorious, Sam.” “Is that not our intention?” I murmured back. “If you wanted obscurity, you should have gone south with your mother.” Mary hid a smile and called over the water in her rounded, inland accent. “Mereish waters, you say? I see nothing but fog. Though, we’ve a Letter of Marque from the Usti queen and the right to be wherever we see fit.” The pirate captain snorted. “The fog that you called yourself, witch. And letters can burn. Captain, let us resolve this before we have a patrol on our heads.” “Very well. Ophalia Monna.” I drew up to the quarterdeck rail and faced the othercaptain over the stretch of sea. Mary stayed where she was. “I am Captain Samuel Rosser of  Hart, privateer under commission of the Usti Crown. Surrender yourself. You are taking on water, you have no Stormsinger, and falling into the hands of your countrymen will be your death. Come with me back to Hesten and you will face fair trial under the Usti for your crimes against their ships. Or we can wait here, becalmed, until a patrol sets to blowing us both out of the water.” The pirate replied, “Would you perhaps be related to a Benedict Rosser?” There was no question in her voice. She knew who Mary was. She knew who I was. And evidently, she knew something of my brother, too. A whisper of premonition swept over me, blurring the edges of the world—the lines of the rails and rigging, the masts and lifeless sails, the waves and Monna’s fixed gaze. Then my fingers brushed the long, oval coin in my pocket, and the whisper faded. The world took on clear edges again, and I realized Mary had drawn up to my shoulder. “Someone is coming,” she murmured. “Ghisten ships.” I cursed. The fog shrouded us, but it also limited what we could see of the world around us. By natural means, at least. “Can you delay them?” I asked, equally low. Mary gave a nod and stepped back. I heard the smooth intake of her breath, then the first notes of a song slipped into the still air. They were low and melancholy, drawing in the hushed solemnity of the sea and returning it in sympathetic kind. “There is a voice among the trees, that mingles with the groaning oak, that mingles with the stormy breeze…” The wind stirred and damp air prickled across my cheeks. Monna lifted her chin, sensing the change at the same time as one of her crewmen murmured in her ear. “We will surrender,” Monna decided. “No more storms, guns or bloodshed. I will peacefully come aboard, then I will tell you how I met your twin in the belly of a Mereish frigate.” * * * Monna sat at the small table in my cabin, fishing a pipe and pouch from her pocket. Ice rimmed each small windowpane, further obscuring our foggy view of open sea and pursuing ships beyond. It was cold; the iron-girded woodstove had been smothered for action and not yet rekindled. But at least we were out of the wind. Distantly, I heard Mary’s song above deck, accompanied by the rumble of footfalls and the piping of the bosun’s whistle. Her witchwind was up and we were well on our way back to safer waters, with Monna’s ship in convoy. “I am surprised they came upon us so quickly,” Monna commented as she stuffed the pipe. “But it is a time for surprises. I also did not expect you to chase me beyond Aeadine waters, yet here we are. May I?” I nodded and the pirate leaned in to steal a taper and flame from the lantern suspended low over the table. Meanwhile, I shed my outer coat and sat across from her, leaving my cutlass and pistols in place. Her mention of my brother itched the back of my mind, dredging up question after question. I held my tongue for now, sifting through tactics. Monna was at least thirty years my senior, and, judging by her ease and the weathered condition of her light-brown skin, she had been at sea for longer than that. She had also evaded capture more than a dozen times and showed no sign of fear or tension—save the methodical way she puffed on her pipe, one finger tapping on the table. Dusky, rich smoke drifted up towards the hefty beams above. “My commission is from the Usti, not Aeadine,” I reminded her. “Neutral in the conflict between our peoples. I have the papers to prove it. You, a hunted brigand, are in far more danger from your people than I am.” Monna grinned around the pipe bit and relaxed in her chair. “As I said, papers may be burned, young captain. Then we have only our word to protect us: the word of pirates and privateers. And what is that worth to the mighty navies?” “Very little,” I acknowledged. “Now, you mentioned my brother.” “Yes. It is uncanny, how you two are alike. Mirror twins?” I nodded, carefully stowing all emotion. “You saw him aboard a Mereish frigate?” “His ship was wrecked at Eldona Island. That happens to be my winter harbor, and the locals pay well for my protection. The tides have been rather high; your brother’s ship struck our hidden reef and was dashed to pieces. What was I to do but investigate? Pity the Navy came upon us, and I found myself a prisoner alongside your brother.” Concealed under the table, I unclenched my fist and stretched it across my thigh. The shock of such loss of life was an old one, dulled with familiarity, but still present. A vessel as large as Benedict’s had nearly a thousand men and women aboard, many of whom I knew from my own naval days before I had resigned my commission in the face of rumors and disgrace. “How many of his crew survived?” I asked. “All the boats were gone,” Monna replied, her tone losing a little of its uncaring mildness. She was not impassive to the deaths of fellow seafarers either, regardless of their nationality. “I cannot say what befell them. There were many dead. Some made it to shore and escaped inland, I am sure.” “Mean comfort.” She nodded, exhaling twin swirls of smoke through her nostrils. “Was my brother given parole? Was there any mention of ransom?” “All I know is where the ship that took him was bound. I am happy to tell you, in return for my freedom.” “If I believe you.” “Your brother spoke of a child dependent upon him, playing upon our captor’s sympathies. Josephine, he called her. And he was a Magni, though I assume that is common knowledge. He compelled the guards to release us, though there was an unfortunate mix-up with the keys, and only I managed to escape.” At the last she smiled, flat and feline, and I had no doubt as to the cause of that confusion. “In return for my freedom,” the pirate repeated, “I am more than happy to tell you where your brother was headed. Perhaps you can even rescue him before the Mereish shoot him like a mad dog.” A sea of possibility spread before me, and with it, a new course. I could barter with this pirate, choose not to hand her over to the Usti as I was being paid to do, and try to save my brother. I might even succeed. But my crew expected payment, deserved it, and not every tongue could be trusted not to wag even if I paid them off myself. Furthermore, in my last report I had noted how close I was to capturing the pirate. An Usti ship likely already waited at Tithe to take her home and give me my next task. Mary was another factor. Her contract was upheld by the Usti Crown and tied to my commission. Without it, Mary would once again be little more than a commodity in the eyes of every captain on the Winter Sea. As it was, we walked a fine line every time we were in port, every time we crossed paths with another ship. I sat still for a long moment then smiled, small and grim and a little melancholy. “It is a pity, then, that I do not care whether my brother lives or dies. Make peace with your saints, Captain Monna. You have nothing I want.” Excerpted from Black Tide Son, copyright © 2024 by H.M. Long. The post Read an Excerpt From H.M. Long’s <i>Black Tide Son</i> appeared first on Reactor.

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If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. US House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan has reacted to Wednesday’s ruling by the Supreme Court (SCOTUS) in the Murthy v. Missouri case, to call for new legislation that would, going forward, reinforce the rules, already contained in the First Amendment, meant to protect citizens from government-orchestrated censorship. Jordan, whose Committee is probing alleged government-Big Tech collusion in violation of the First Amendment through the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, noted that the US Constitution’s First Amendment is “first for a reason.” According to the Republican congressman, free speech that this amendment protects (from government intervention) should extend to any government infringement – be it in Congress, or online. Jordan said that while respectfully disagreeing with the SCOTUS ruling the Committee’s own oversight “has shown the need for legislative reforms.” “While we respectfully disagree with the Court’s decision, our investigation has shown the need for legislative reforms, such as the Censorship Accountability Act, to better protect Americans harmed by the unconstitutional censorship-industrial complex,” Jordan wrote in a statement. In other words, the increasingly pressing issue of how the government “interacts” with social platforms (because of their massive reach and therefore influence among the electorate) should be put into the hands of courts and their interpretations based on new and clear legislation to guide those decisions. The Judiciary Committee chairman mentioned the Censorship Accountability Act – a bill that would let citizens launch legal action against federal employees suspected of colluding to suppress free speech. Regardless of the SCOTUS decision, Jordan pledged that the Committee’s “important work will continue” – stating that the Subcommittee’s thus far “uncovered how and the extent to which the Biden Administration engaged in a censorship campaign in violation of the First Amendment.” Murthy v. Missouri – which sought to give the plaintiffs the right to pursue their legal case against the government, alleging it pressured social media to censor online user content, was thrown out by the Supreme Court in a 6-3 ruling as “lacking standing to sue.” At the same time, the court canceled – at a particularly sensitive time, mere months before the upcoming US presidential election – an injunction that limited the way the government can “interact” with social platforms regarding a range of issues. The collusion allegations for the most part refer to activities and communications between the government and Big Tech in the context of the previous vote that resulted in the installment of the current US administration. If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post Free Speech Legislation Gains Attention Following Supreme Court Siding with Biden in Social Media Censorship Case appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. Recently the news arrived that what opponents see as a key linchpin in the government-Big Tech censorship collusion, the Stanford Internet Observatory (SIO), was winding back its operations. But before it does, the House Judiciary Committee and the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government want to gain access to information requested through a previous subpoena. On Monday, Chairman Jim Jordan sent a letter to SIO’s legal representative, the main point being the Committee’s desire to make sure that neither SIO, other groups operating as part of the university, nor any group that might succeed SIO will continue with their “disinformation studies” ahead of the 2024 presidential election. We obtained a copy of the letter for you here. Jordan recalled that the subpoena was issued in April 2023, after the group failed to voluntarily provide requested information meant to help the Committee’s oversight of alleged past collusion. However, SIO (Stanford) failed to respond to the subpoena in time. Jordan goes into what type of information was requested: Stanford working with the Election Integrity Partnership (EIP) and in the process using Jira to send censorship recommendations to online platforms, for the sake of content “moderation.” The Committee wanted access to relevant Jira ticketing data and other documents. Under threat of being held in contempt, this eventually started happening, and, Jordan writes, “The Committee found that there were dozens of examples of EIP personnel, including then-Director of SIO Alex Stamos, making explicit recommendations to platforms for specific enforcement measures.” Prior to this, the SIO and EIP denied making this type of recommendation, and there is now obviously little trust, to put it mildly, in the Committee’s approach to the activities of these groups (Jordan mentions their “repeated false and/or misleading” past statements). With that in mind and given the news of SIO’s “disbanding,” but also “reconstituting” in some manner, the letter wants to make sure that the “reconstituted remnants” don’t resume with their involvement in censoring lawful speech ahead of an election. “The Committee’s subpoena to Stanford University is continuing in nature, and the instructions and definitions accompanying the subpoena make clear that relevant documents and information related to the SIO – and its ‘successors’ – are within the scope of the subpoena,” Jordan warns in the letter. In order to ensure compliance, the Committee wants to know if SIO or some successor, or another Stanford University entity, will “participate or otherwise support the Election Integrity Partnership” as well as if they will “participate or otherwise support any monitoring, analysis, or research of Americans’ election-related speech in the lead-up to the 2024 election.” Further questions about the same current or future groups concern their intent, or lack thereof, “to work with, or intend to work with, any social media or technology companies regarding the monitoring or moderation of Americans’ election-related speech online,” and – “Will the SIO, any successor to the SIO, or any other entity within Stanford University provide recommendations to social media or technology companies to remove or otherwise censor Americans’ election-related speech in the lead-up to the 2024 election.” If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post Jim Jordan Investigates Stanford Internet Observatory Monitoring Election Speech for 2024 appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

A Cautionary Tale of WhatsApp, Meta and Data Mining LizardMen

Brutal Border Crisis Ad to Air During Debate

During CBS Mornings’ “Changing the Game” series Wednesday morning, hosts highlighted the gender-inclusive clothing brand Dapper Boi. The brand was started by a butch girl who liked dressing like a boy but couldn’t find mens clothes to fit her body…because she’s a girl. “Our series ‘Changing the Game’ highlights extraordinary women making a difference and for June’s pride month we’re celebrating members of the lgbtq+ community. We’re introducing you to Dapper Boi, gender neutral, size inclusive line created by married couple Charisse and Vicky Pasche,” CBS Mornings host Tony Dokoupil cheerfully said. As with most lesbian relationships, the one that dressed, looked and acted more like the male of the relationship, Vicky, talked about her struggle to find clothes that fit her body in the men's department. Yeah, it really was my own personal journey shopping in the men's department. Once I was comfortable enough to do that, which is kind of a crazy experience socially, you know, are the clothes going to fit, it was everything to me. Those clothes exactly represented my inside on the outside. But I realized down the line and more so what my fashionista wife over here pointed out that the clothes really never fit my body. The wife, Charisse, talked about how it was a “privilege for someone like myself to take clothes off the rack and it fits,” noting that for Vicky, a “plus sized” woman who wants to dress in men's clothes, it's much more challenging. The wives joked about how the idea for the gender-neutral clothing line was “conceived” on their honeymoon. “Most people conceive their first child on their honeymoon, and we conceived our first baby which is Dapper Boi,” Chariesse said. “Because Vicky, you said you didn’t feel comfortable in the men or the women’s section,” host Gayle King chimed in. Vicky said “I’m a plus-sized person” before noting that “if I were to try on the men’s like highest sized jeans, I’d have to go on really two sizes too bug. They’d still be just frumpy and loose in all the wrong places.” Host Vladimir Duthiers said, “you say the brand isn’t about genders but about bodies,” before pointing towards a few mannequins in Dapper Boi outfits. Vicky talked about how at regular department stores, “you literally have two options –- the men's section and the women's section. We don't think about it, [it’s] just what it is. But really it’s just embedded with these societal rules and norms based on your gender. And we're looking to break that. Our goal is to be the next Levi's of all gender fashion.” Hosts praised the success of the “multimillion dollar business” that “started on the honeymoon.” “We’re inspiring people, changing people lives everyday,” Vicky said. “Bravo Pasches. Congratulations,” King concluded. Good God. When is CBS Mornings going to stop shoving woke crap and gender garbage down our throats and give airtime to things people actually care about?

During Tuesday night’s episode of The 11th Hour, MSNBC host Stephanie Ruhle showed a pre-recorded segment of her interview with Senator Joe Manchin (I-WV) and his daughter Heather Bresch at the Aspen Ideas Festival. Throughout the interview, Manchin explained his decision to leave the Democratic Party and called out the media as responsible for the drastic political polarization in the U.S. Ruhle asked Manchin for his opinion on the root cause of political polarization, which the senator insisted was the fault of “you all,” meaning the media. In response, the host shouted a censored expletive and told the senator, “Wrong answer!”  However, Manchin stood his ground and suggested that “You all should be paying Donald Trump royalties. You have him on every minute of every day, all day long, seven days a week.” He also chided Ruhle and pointed out that the news has the “ability to sensationalize bad behavior”, adding that “it used to be if it bleeds it reads, and now if it's sensational, you put it on.”     “I can't take it anymore, I turn on Life Below Zero up in Alaska just to get through the night,” Manchin joked. Manchin illustrated the disunity in American politics as the direct result of the “toxic” weaponization of the Republican and Democratic parties: You know, if you’re on one side you’re supposed to hate the other. But if you're a Democrat you’re supposed to hate Republicans, if you’re a Republican you’re supposed to hate Democrats. I don't hate anybody. They’re all my friends and I thought, well, the best way to love both of them, be an independent and talk to both of them. He also revealed that even though he had always identified as a Democrat out of loyalty to his grandfather, he never “subscribed” to either side and disagreed with certain issues regardless of the party. “I have never looked at politics as far as a partisan issue or Democrat, Republican. Never have,” he affirmed. Manchin expressed his disappointment with the devolvement of the Democrat Party and its aggressive shift to the far-left. Furthermore, he told Ruhle that it reached a point where it was impossible for him to continue to defend Democratic policies to his home state of West Virginia and doing so would be a violation of his core principles: Yeah, went too far to the left for me, basically, to go home and defend. I’ve always said this, you know, you are who you are, no matter where you were raised, how you were raised, and who raised you. No matter what station in life you are today–God bless everybody–but you still think about how you were raised, where you were raised, and who raised you. And can you go back home and talk to them? Well, if I can’t go home and explain it, I can’t vote for it. I can't support it. And it moves so far to the left, there's a lot of things I could not vote for or support. For her part, Bresch outlined a comprehensive plan to increase political involvement for independent voters and allow for “more responsible representation”: But if we opened primaries and gave the ability to have ranked choice or immediate runoff in the general election, I think it is the most proven way to level the playing field of parties. It's not saying you’re anti-party. You get one ballot for a primary, you see Republican, Independent, Democratic candidates, you vote for one. Then the top four, the top five go to the general election and you rank the order of whom you like…We know that it allows more people the opportunity to get involved and it allows more responsible representation. Towards the end of the segment, Ruhle essentially proved his point about the media by repeatedly pressing Manchin for a Joe Biden endorsement, though he refused to submit to the pressure and declared his intention to pull the president back to the center. “I think those of us who’ve known Joe Biden for a long time would like to see the Joe Biden we've known,” he stated. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: MSNBC’s The 11th Hour 6/25/2024 11:37:48 PM EST [Cuts to video] STEPHANIE RUHLE: You know, I'm going to start with the obvious question, Senator. What made you decide to make this move, what couldn’t you do as a Democrat in office, that made you make this decision just a few months ago? SEN. JOE MANCHIN (I-WV): Well, both brands have become so toxic because they’ve basically been weaponized. You know, if you’re on one side you’re supposed to hate the other. But if you're a Democrat you’re supposed to hate Republicans, if you’re a Republican you’re supposed to hate Democrats. I don't hate anybody. They’re all my friends and I thought, well, the best way to love both of them, be an independent and talk to both of them because... RUHLE: And do you think that's how they took it? MANCHIN: Well, let me just say this. Not having a brand and you’re speaking to them, they’re not looking at you through colored–rose-colored glasses like you’re trying to pull something over on them. They know me well enough. But it’s with that it’s made it hard.  There's a lot of things I didn't agree with and there’s a lot–and someone said “Why don’t you be a Republican?” Well, there's a lot of things I don't agree with on the Republican side. But what happens is that you get to Washington and you got to pick a side. Well, I never subscribed to that, even though I had a “D” by my name all my life.  They said, “Why are you Democrat?” I said, “Well, I guess my grandfather was very [impressed with?] FDR back in the coal mining days of 1930’s of West Virginia–kinda gave him a start and helped him and everything–so, out of loyalty, you know, I never thought anything.  I have never looked at politics as far as a partisan issue or Democrat, Republican. Never have. RUHLE: Did you feel like you couldn’t be a Democrat representing West Virginia or did you feel like the Democratic Party went too far to the left… MANCHIN: Went too far. RUHLE: …for Joe Manchin. MANCHIN: Yeah, went too far to the left for me, basically, to go home and defend. I’ve always said this, you know, you are who you are, no matter where you were raised, how you were raised, and who raised you. No matter what station in life you are today–God bless everybody–but you still think about how you were raised, where you were raised, and who raised you. And can you go back home and talk to them? Well, if I can’t go home and explain it, I can’t vote for it. I can't support it. And it moves so far to the left, there's a lot of things I could not vote for or support. [Transition] RUHLE: Heather, you call the silent majority, the sensible majority and I believe a lot of people here aren't the disaffected voter but they are part of the sensible majority who thinks, “I guess the system doesn't work,” but they want it to. So let's get practical on what has to get done. HEATHER BRESCH: Yeah. So, I think, as you said, we all recognize it's broken, how can we fix it? Or, there's tangible steps to take and I think there is hope and a light at the end of the tunnel.  So, after kinda diving deep, it became very clear, the point dad was just making, there is zero infrastructure in Washington, D.C., for anybody that wants to be center-right, center-left, or an independent. There's no place to come have a cup of coffee with Senator Manchin, or Senator Murkowski, or Senator Romney, if you’re Jared Golden or Marie Perez, that want to stay moderate, to have help writing op-eds, to have just infrastructure, fundraising, that the parties offer. Not just the parties, but I'm talking almost college campuses, for dinner, for all your needs. So, there's a huge vacuum white space there. So, that is needed to be filled, for sure, a center for the center. I think structurally, it's totally nonpartisan.  But if we opened primaries and gave the ability to have ranked choice or immediate runoff in the general election, I think it is the most proven way to level the playing field of parties. It's not saying you’re anti-party. You get one ballot for a primary, you see Republican, Independent, Democratic candidates, you vote for one. Then the top four, the top five go to the general election and you rank the order of whom you like. We know it moderates, we know that's the only reason Senator Murkowski is in the Senate, from Alaska. We know that it allows more people the opportunity to get involved and it allows more responsible representation. [Transition] RUHLE: How did we become so polarized? Was it our politicians that saw the– MANCHIN: To me, it's you all. RUHLE: Oh, [Bleep], wrong answer! BRESCH: That's funny. RUHLE: But that could be, right? Is it media, is it politicians, or is it the American people? Like, what is the root cause of it? MANCHIN: You all should be paying Donald Trump royalties.  RUHLE: Yeah. MANCHIN: You have him on every minute of every day, all day long, seven days a week. [Applause] BRESCH: But let me–I guess I’ll say this… RUHLE: Hold on a minute. Like, I get that that gets applause. BRESCH: Before we get to… RUHLE: Ready?  MANCHIN: (Laughs). RUHLE: Hold on. He's a former president of the United States, who just sat at a criminal trial and was convicted of 34 felonies. What do you think should be on the news? [Input from audience] BRESCH: They’re saying back in 2015, 2016. MANCHIN: Whenever. I’m just saying this. The bottom line is, you all have the ability to sensationalize bad behavior, okay? Because it used to be if it bleeds it reads, and now if it's sensational, you put it on. RUHLE: There’d be nothing to sensationalize if the behavior wasn’t bad. MANCHIN: I know. But I’m just saying, I gotta–I can't take it anymore, I turn on Life Below Zero up in Alaska just to get through the night. RUHLE: (Laughs). [Transition] RUHLE: Help us understand who that West Virginia voter is because it's in your state where you’ve seen that anger, where you saw all of the support, you know those grievance voters.  MANCHIN: Right. RUHLE: Where did that come from, and where did your party miss the mark so much? Because, again, before politics, it's about respect and dignity? MANCHIN: The West Virginia Democrats felt like the returning Vietnam veteran. We have done every–taken every order you have given us and we've done everything you asked. We never said no, we did the heavy lifting, and now we’re not good enough, clean enough, bright enough, smart enough. You don’t want us at all, you’ve just thrown us to the side. They just flip continuously.  So, I will say this about Joe Biden. He took that to heart and I said, “Mr. President, you cannot leave anybody behind.” So, we wrote some of these bills that we have, the REA [inaudible] and some of them. We have done that, where you get a boost if you go into an area where that–we’re not using the resources anymore, whether it be coal or different things. Those areas have to be able to–be able to sustain themselves. And that wasn’t done. That's how we flipped so quick. We didn’t ever flip that quick. It's never been done in our history of our country. RUHLE: So, are you voting for him in November? MANCHIN: Who? RUHLE: Joe Biden, who you just… MANCHIN: No, I voted for him–no, I voted for him last time.  RUHLE: No. Will you vote for him this November? MANCHIN: I’m gonna be voting. I'm trying to bring my buddy back to the middle. I'm just working hard. Pulling him back. RUHLE: And, so, you will vote for him? MANCHIN: I’m gonna be pulling him back to the middle.  [Laughs] MANCHIN: I said, I love my country too much to vote for Donald Trump. And I know–I know Donald real well but I just think that, you know, the transfer–orderly transfer of power, the rule of law, the love we should have for our judicial system, it's still the best in the world and he tried to basically just destroy those two. It's just–it’s more than I can take. But with that… [Applause] MANCHIN: …but with that, but with that, I think those of us who’ve known Joe Biden for a long time would like to see the Joe Biden we've known. (...)