Cancel culture ain’t what it used to be‚ but it’s still a sizable force in the West.We’re seeing that in real time‚ and it’s impacting singers‚ comedians‚ and authors alike. Part of this toxic trend stems from Hamas’ Oct. 7 slaughter of 1‚200 Israelis and the ensuing Middle East war. Hold the “wrong” opinion on the crisis and endure protesters eager to silence your points of view.Or worse.Most Hollywood stars have remained silent on both the Hamas atrocities perpetrated against Israel on Oct. 7 and the terrorist group’s ongoing hostage crisis.Comedians‚ who have suffered significantly from cancel culture’s wrath‚ still can’t tell their jokes their way.A Seattle-based comedy club proved just that.The Capitol Hill Comedy / Bar “un-booked” four prominent comedians earlier this month following pressure from “investors‚ local comedians‚ and neighborhood advocacy groups‚” according to club owner/booker Jes Anderson.The four in question — Kurt Metzger‚ Dave Smith‚ Jim Florentine‚ and Luis J. Gomez — didn’t say any one thing that sparked the cancellation. All could be described as “unwoke‚” a description that could apply to most stand-up comedians of yore‚ from Lenny Bruce to George Carlin.They say what they want to say without self-censoring their material.Metzger leaked Anderson’s rationale for dismissing the four comedians on social media. The note ended on a curious note.“We truly value the art of comedy and the diverse perspectives it brings to our lives.”The four comics took the dismissal more or less in stride. They also mocked it aggressively to their respective fan bases.Comedian Chrissie Mayr wouldn’t stand a chance at the Capitol Hill Comedy / Bar. She comically rages against woke overreach on stage and via her podcast. She also titled her 2023 comedy album “Live from January 6th.”So‚ it’s not shocking to learn someone allegedly attacked her following a Feb. 24 New Jersey club appearance. Mayr‚ who is eight months pregnant‚ says she got pepper-sprayed during a post-show meet-and-greet with fans.She emerged unhurt‚ but given her health status‚ that wasn’t guaranteed.Jewish musicians are also getting a taste of cancel culture‚ mixed with a dash of anti-Semitism.Harvard Chabad‚ a group of Jewish students at Harvard University‚ invited singer Ishay Ribo to play at the campus.Ribo‚ who has sold out Madison Square Garden‚ nearly didn’t get a chance to sing a single note. Staffers at the Sinclair‚ a Cambridge theater‚ boycotted the event. The club had to hire workers to ensure the show went on as scheduled.He had better luck than fellow Jewish musician Matisyahu.The singer suffered not one but two cancellations at the proverbial last minute in recent weeks — the Rialto Theatre in Tucson and Meow Wolf in Santa Fe. Matisyahu blamed the cancellations on his religious identity.“They do this because they are either anti-Semitic or have confused their empathy for the Palestinian people with hatred for someone like me who holds empathy for both Israelis and Palestinians‚” he wrote on X.The clubs blamed the cancellations on “safety concerns and staff shortages.”Veteran actor Brett Gelman of “Stranger Things” fame recently tried his hand at writing. Gelman planned a four-city tour to promote his first short stories tome‚ “The Terrifying Realm of the Possible: Nearly True Stories.”At least two of those bookstore appearances have been canceled.Stops in San Francisco and Winnetka‚ Illinois‚ were scrapped‚ he claimed‚ due to “harassment and intimidation from antisemitic and anti-Israel protesters.”Bill Petrocelli‚ the co-owner of the San Francisco store Book Passage‚ blamed the cancellation on “intemperate and ill-advised remarks that [Gelman] made against some other ethnic and social groups.”Petrocelli wouldn’t share the specific verbiage that triggered the cancellation.Late last year‚ Gelman teamed with the Israeli sketch comedy series “Eretz Nehederet” to mock anti-Israel university students.Most Hollywood stars have remained silent on both the Hamas atrocities perpetrated against Israel on Oct. 7 and the terrorist group’s ongoing hostage crisis.Not Michael Rapaport.The pro-Israel actor flexes his X account to slam Hamas and support Israel’s war against the terrorist group. That didn’t go over well with pro-Palestinian activists and Antifa. They raged against the actor-turned stand-up comedian outside of his Helium Comedy Club appearance in Portland on Jan. 12.The mob shot fireworks at the club and harassed patrons as they entered the building. The shows went on as scheduled despite the furious backlash.Unbowed‚ Rapaport recently joined with “Eretz Nehederet” to mock his fellow actors for refusing to speak out on the hostages' behalf. The sketch featured Rapaport hosting the upcoming Oscars telecast‚ using recent Academy Awards video clips to poke fun at Jewish stars like Seth Rogen for their silence.

One of the most liberal cities in America may soon agree to give police more freedom to fight crime and force some welfare recipients into some kind of drug treatment program.On Tuesday‚ residents of San Francisco‚ California‚ will have the opportunity to vote on two measures designed to curtail rising crime and drug problems in the city. The first measure‚ Proposition E‚ would relax some of the restrictions placed on cops. If passed‚ officers would be allowed to use their vehicles to chase suspects in cases of violent misdemeanors‚ and not just violent felonies‚ as permitted by current law.The measure would also make it easier for police to purchase surveillance equipment‚ such as drones and cameras‚ to help locate and identify suspects. Currently‚ they must first get approval from the board of supervisors before purchasing such items. The second measure‚ Proposition F‚ would require single adults on the public dole to submit to a drug test to continue receiving assistance‚ which amounts to about $700 a month. Any recipient who tests positive for illegal drugs will have to enroll in treatment or lose their monthly welfare check.Such welfare recipients will not‚ however‚ have to pass the drug test. They will just need to make an effort to complete their program successfully and stay sober. According to the Telegraph‚ those who lose their assistance will be given shelter for 30 days or a housing stipend to keep them off the streets.The welfare program application for single adults already asks prospective recipients about illegal drugs‚ and nearly 20% of applicants admit to using them‚ the Daily Mail reported. However‚ data from the Department of Public Health indicates that as many as one-third have been diagnosed with some kind of substance abuse disorder‚ the outlet said.Recent polls show that more than 60% of San Franciscans support both propositions‚ prompting some to believe that the city may have grown tired of feel-good‚ far-left policies regarding law and order. "The pendulum is swinging‚" said Malcolm Weitz‚ a 41-year-old cannabis shop owner who plans to vote yes on both. "It’s coming hardcore back to the center."But Democrat Mayor London Breed‚ who also supports both measures‚ disagrees. "People keep trying to make this about being liberal or conservative‚" she said‚ "but it’s really about being compassionate‚ with some tough love in the process.""They said San Francisco makes it too easy for people to access and to use drugs on the streets of the city‚" she added‚ "and we need to do something a lot more aggressive."Breed faces a tough re-election campaign this year. As the first black female mayor of San Francisco‚ she entered office in 2018 to much fanfare but quickly lost favor with her constituents because of rising drug and crime problems.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

New York Attorney General Leticia James demanded that the Colorado Supreme Court force a cake business to decorate a cake for a transgender customer after it refused. James weighed in on the transgender cake debate in a missive on X‚ formerly known as Twitter‚ on Thursday. "Masterpiece Cakeshop‚ a Colorado bakery‚ refused to make a customer a cake when they found out it was to celebrate her transition. This bakery has discriminated against LGBTQ+ people before‚ and I'm urging the Colorado Supreme Court to stop this transphobic discrimination‚" said James. — (@) "It's not complicated: denying services to someone simply because of who they are is discrimination‚ and it's illegal‚" she added. "I will always fight to protect the rights of our LGBTQ+ community and any community that faces discrimination or hate or any kind." The Colorado court said in October they would take up the lawsuit from Autumn Scardina‚ a transgender woman‚ against Jack Phillips‚ the owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop. Phillips refused to make a cake to celebrate Scardina's gender transition. The U.S. Supreme Court had previously sided with Phillips when he refused to make a cake celebrating a same-sex wedding. James faced some online backlash for the posts. "Leave Jack alone. Jack serves everyone but doesn’t express every message requested. Government officials should look to protect free speech. Not go out of their way to push courts to punish people they disagree with‚" responded Kristen Waggoner‚ the CEO and president of the Alliance Defending Freedom. "They will never stop trying to ruin this guy's life‚" replied Isaac Schorr of Mediaite. "That bakery is obviously being targeted by idiots like you who want the owner to bend the knee to your woke BS. Find another bakery‚ he’s not the only one in the Denver area. Stop trying to ruin his life you useless morons‚" said another detractor. "The obsession with ruining this man’s life because he refused to endorse an act he found sinful is religious‚ not rational. It only makes sense in that regard‚" said another critic. James is best known for winning the civil lawsuit against former President Donald Trump where he was accused of defrauding insurance companies and banks by overestimating the values of his real estate properties. Trump‚ his sons‚ and the Trump Organization were fined $364 million by a judge‚ and they were ordered to stop doing business in the state of New York for three years. Here's more about the cakeshop feud: Colorado Supreme court will hear cakeshop case www.youtube.com Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

An amateur boxer beat down three armed thugs who tried to rob him of his Rolex watch outside of the gym he owns in California. Surveillance video captured the Tuesday attack on Rocco DiStefano‚ the owner and founder of the Lab Sunset Athletic Club‚ on the famous Sunset strip in West Hollywood. The video shows three masked men hop out of a black Cadillac and rush towards DiStefano who is walking his dog‚ Hercules. "I turned around‚ and I'm looking down the barrel of the pistol‚" DiStefano said to KTTV-TV. "They're yelling‚ ‘Take it off‚ take it off‚’ and at this point‚ I try to run and I realize I'm running into a corner." One of the assailants punches him in the face multiple times while another holds a gun to his head. "The only thing I can think to take off‚ I'm looking at my Rolex. So I take off my Rolex and I clasp it in my hands and I tell them ‘You’re going to have to take it from me‚'" said DiStefano. "I just saw my life flash before my eyes"Video did not capture DiStefano fighting back. He said that he "was able to tackle the guy in the gray hoodie that's hitting me from behind into the person with the gun‚ and when I hit him with the gun‚ both of them fell down."The assailants were unable to steal the Rolex and decided to run away. DiStefano can be seen rushing to a nearby spa business to seek help. "It was just a rush of adrenaline and I just saw my life flash before my eyes‚ and it’s making me very grateful to be alive‚" he added. Police said no one had been arrested yet‚ but they are investigating the matter. They added that a similar robbery just 15 minutes before this incident might be connected. They are asking for help from the public to help identify the men. DiStefano said the Rolex watch was a symbol of how much work he put into being successful. He said he's keeping it in a safe from now on. "I was prepared in a physical sense and in a mental sense from my upbringing for sure‚" he laughed. DiStefano's dog Hercules was not harmed during the incident. Here's more about the incident: Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

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Helldivers 2 features a varied array of customization options to improve your combat experience. From new Primary and Secondary Weapons to acquire via the Warbonds‚ to the best Stratagems to unlock and bring to the front lines‚ there's no shortage of combat options available to you. One of the best upgrades to keep your eyes on as you shoot your way through the Terminid and Automaton hordes is the Ship Module upgrades.

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