"Peeking from behind the tree the owl just flew behind, was what looked like an impossibly tall ghost white humanoid shape, with one hand on the tree trunk as it peered out from behind it."I received the following account:"About 10 years ago on a fall evening around 7 pm, my girlfriend and roommate and I were walking along some decommissioned Washington state train tracks surrounded by woods on both sides. We loved exploring little in-between areas so this wasn't an uncommon event. We were about five miles into the tracks and woods and were considering heading back since it was getting dark quick and none of us had a flashlight.I suddenly got this sensation of almost nausea-inducing dread and looked at both my friends who were with me, and saw that they too were feeling something, wide-eyed and looking around. "Let's start heading back" I declare, and they all nod in silent agreement. Mind you, we were doing just fine a second ago, and do this sort of thing all the time, so this sudden onset of fear was unusual and not something that we were prepared for or used to.Just as we were turned around, we all heard a strange sound that almost sounded like quieted thunder/metal hitting metal that was coming from what sounded like off in the distance. As we whipped around to see what made the noise, a large white bird that I think was a white owl flew over our heads silently, flapping its wings and disappearing behind a tree that was a good 25 feet behind us.We all looked at each other trying to make sense of what the hell we just heard and started walking briskly back towards civilization. We heard what sounded like twigs snapping in the woods behind us, and my girlfriend and I turned around to see what made the noise.Peeking from behind the tree the owl just flew behind, was what looked like an impossibly tall ghost white humanoid shape, with one hand on the tree trunk as it peered out from behind it. Before we could get a good look at its face, it quickly retreated back to behind the tree out of our sight again.My girlfriend and I looked at each other panicked. She opened her mouth to say something, and I told her "Don't talk about it, we need to walk faster." My roommate looked at us confused and clearly scared by what I had just said, so I told him we need to probably run home at this point, which we did.I've told a few people this story, and no one believes me. What I saw was NOT the owl I had seen earlier, this being had a clear ghost white hand on the tree trunk, a neck, and an upper body, and was TALL. I'd say like 7 feet at least (not tall enough to reach the branches of the tree though). I wish I could've made out the face, it was just so dark that the only reason I could see it was because of how white it was." A**********RISSA MILLER - LEGEND OF 'HELL HOUSE' - LON STRICKLER - Live Chat - Q&A - (CREEPY MARYLAND HISTORY)PHANTOMS & MONSTERS VIDEO LIBRARYPOLL: WHAT DO YOU THINK? Vote & comment on paranormal, cryptid & unexplained mysteries!LISTEN TO NARRATIONS OF PHANTOMS & MONSTERS REPORTS & CASES - PLEASE SUBSCRIBE, LIKE & SHAREPHANTOMS & MONSTERS RADIO Podcasts on SpotifyPHANTOMS & MONSTERS READING LISTCHICAGO MOTHMAN / O'HARE BATMAN YouTube PlaylistHave you had a sighting or encounter?Contact me by email or call the hotline at 410-241-5974Thanks. LonOUR SOCIAL MEDIA LINKSBigfoot and Other Cryptid Videos on YouTubeLYCANS! - PENNSYLVANIA'S CRYPTID CANINES UPDATE'KILLER BIGFOOT' HUNTED BY U.S. SPECIAL FORCES / GLIMMER MAN / MANTIS HUMANOIDSCRAWLER HUMANOIDS - GRUESOME INVADERS! (REAL EYEWITNESS ENCOUNTERS!)WEREWOLVES: DO THEY EXIST?'DOGMAN IN OUR YARD!' - AN OHIO FAMILY'S 12-YEAR SAGA WITH CRYPTID CANINESHey, folks. Thanks for the congrats on 'The Mothman Revisited' episode on Unsolved Mysteries. As a result, we are receiving more sighting reports and are very excited and grateful for the new information!I sincerely thank the Unsolved Mysteries team and Netflix for allowing us to tell the world about this phenomenon.If you have information about this or any other cryptid or unexplained sighting or encounter, please feel free to contact me by email or at 410-241-5974. Thanks again! LonCHICAGO MOTHMAN / O'HARE BATMAN YouTube PlaylistChicago / Lake Michigan Winged Humanoid Regional Interactive MapEXCLUSIVE VIDEO of CHICAGO MOTHMAN RECORDED---------------Become a Phantoms & Monsters Radio Insider - just $2.99 monthly, and receive these perks. Thanks for your support!-Members-only live chats-Exclusive members-only videos-Priority reply to members' commentsHave perks suggestions? LMK-----YOUR SUPPORT IS APPRECIATED! THANKS-----Have you had a sighting or encounter?Contact us by email or call the hotline at 410-241-5974Thanks. Lon Noted UFOlogist Dr. Raymond Keller believes the idea of extraterrestrials and even ultra-dimensional beings from many different planets and alternate realms living and working among us clandestinely is more than just another conspiracy theory.Available on Amazon.comSan Francisco Book Festival Honorable MentionNew York Book Festival Honorable MentionAlso available with audiobooknarration by Terry Springs,CBS-TV Las Vegas affiliate.OUR PRIVACY POLICYThis blog and newsletter are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Work 3.0 United States License.Registered trademark PHANTOMS AND MONSTERS ® / PHANTOMS & MONSTERS ® - USPTO #90902480 - Lon D. Strickler© 2005-2025 Phantoms & Monsters - All Rights Reserved

From Arizona comes the remarkable “timeless” story of a man who got to try on his varsity letterman jacket decades after he ordered it. Unable to afford it at the time, Jed Mottley and the jacket went their separate ways, only to reunite after a spur-of-the-moment, serendipitous visit to a thrift store almost 30 years […] The post 30-Year-old Letterman Jacket Is Found By Brother in Serendipitous Twist of Fate appeared first on Good News Network.

News Presence Presence Trailer: A Supernatural Force Trying to Figure Out the Living Is, Frankly, Terrifying With the premiere only weeks away, the final trailer has arrived. By Vanessa Armstrong | Published on January 13, 2025 Photo by Peter Andrews/Copyright The Spectral Spirit Company Comment 0 Share New Share Photo by Peter Andrews/Copyright The Spectral Spirit Company Presence, the upcoming film from director Steven Soderbergh, is set to premiere in theaters in mere weeks, and we have a new trailer to celebrate the occasion. Like the trailers before it, this one doesn’t give away too much about the plot. The vibes, however, are strong, thanks to the musical score and unsettling camera moves as we see the family inside the house from the Presence’s point of view. Here’s the synopsis for the film: It’s there before the family even moves in. It witnesses the family’s most intimate uncomfortable moments. It navigates the family’s new house at supernatural speed. It pays unusual attention to Chloe, the teenage girl who’s neither her mother’s nor her brother’s favorite. It wants—no, it needs—something. And as time goes on, the presence pieces together how it might accomplish its goal. The idea of having the movie shot from the point of view of a supernatural force was there from the get-go. In the press notes for the film, writer David Koepp, who has worked with Soderbergh before on 2022’s Kimi, called the conceit, “Mostly liberating. And a little challenging.” Koepp added, “Steven had intimated that the character for the POV could be skittish. It’s a little fearful—hides in the closet a lot. Using those cues, I viewed it as a child. I tried to write it the way a small child is a little fearful, and also curious. You are writing a character, but don’t see that character.” The characters we do see are eerily played by Lucy Liu, Chris Sullivan, Callina Liang, Eddy Maday, West Mulholland, and Julia Fox. Presence is distributed by Neon and will premiere in theaters on January 24, 2025. Check out the trailer below.[end-mark] The post <i>Presence</i> Trailer: A Supernatural Force Trying to Figure Out the Living Is, Frankly, Terrifying appeared first on Reactor.

Books new releases All the New Fantasy Books Arriving in January 2025 January brings new releases in long-running series such as Wayward Children and the Laundry Files… and much, much more. By Reactor | Published on January 13, 2025 Comment 0 Share New Share Books new releases All the New Fantasy Books Arriving in January 2025 January brings new releases in long-running series such as Wayward Children and the Laundry Files… and much, much more. By Reactor | Published on January 13, 2025 Comment 0 Share New Share Here’s the full list of fantasy titles heading your way in January! Keep track of all the new SFF releases here. All title summaries are taken and/or summarized from copy provided by the publisher. Release dates are subject to change. November 1 Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear (Wayward Children #10) — Seanan McGuire (Tordotcom Publishing)Nadya never considered herself less than whole, not until her adoptive parents fitted her with a prosthetic arm against her will, seeking to replace the one she’d been missing from birth. It was cumbersome; it was uncomfortable; it was wrong. It wasn’t her. Frustrated and unable to express why, Nadya began to wander, until the day she fell through a door into Belyrreka, the Land Beneath the Lake—and found herself in a world of water, filled with child-eating amphibians, majestic giant turtles, and impossible ships that sailed as happily beneath the surface as on top. In Belyyreka, she found herself understood for who she was: a Drowned Girl, who had made her way to her real home, accepted by the river and its people. But even in Belyyreka, there are dangers, and trials, and Nadya would soon find herself fighting to keep hold of everything she had come to treasure. A Conventional Boy (Laundry Files #13) — Charles Stross (Tordotcom Publishing)In 1984, Derek Reilly was just another spotty teenage dungeon master growing up in middle England. But then a secret government agency tasked with suppressing magical intrusions received a tip-off—and one midnight raid later, his life was turned upside down by the Satanic D&D Panic. Decades later Derek, now middle-aged and institutionalized, is a long-term inmate at Camp Sunshine, a center for deprogramming captured Elder God cultists. He’s considered safe enough to edit the camp newsletter, and he even has postal privileges—which he uses to run a play-by-mail game. After 25 years, Derek finally has reason to escape: a nearby D&D convention. While Derek’s D&D games were full of fictional elder gods and world-ending threats, a LARP game at the con is a dread ritual designed to summon a great evil into our world, and it’s up to Derek and his players to stop them. The fate of the world may depend on the contents of Derek’s magic dice bag. Immortal (Celestial Kingdom) — Sue Lynn Tan (Harper Voyager)The young heir to a mortal crown, Liyen ascends a precarious throne when her grandfather dies, vowing to end her kingdom’s obligation to the immortals and take vengeance against those she feels responsible for his death. When she is summoned to the Immortal Realm, she seizes the opportunity to learn their secrets and to form a tenuous alliance to safeguard her people, all with the one she should fear and mistrust the most: the ruthless God of War. As they are drawn together, a treacherous attraction ignites between them—one she has to resist, to not endanger all she is fighting for. But with darker forces closing in around them, and her kingdom plunged into peril, Liyen must risk everything to save her people from an unspeakable fate, even if it means forging a dangerous bond with the immortal… even if it means losing her heart.  A Language of Dragons — S. F. Williamson (Harper Collins)Dragons soar through the skies and protests erupt on the streets, but Vivien Featherswallow isn’t worried. She’s going to follow the rules, get a summer internship studying dragon languages, be smart, be sweet, and make sure her little sister never, ever has to risk growing up Third Class. She just has to free one dragon. By midnight, Viv has started a civil war. With her parents and cousin arrested and her sister missing, Viv is brought to Bletchley Park as a codebreaker—if she succeeds, she and her family can all go home again. If she doesn’t, they’ll all die. As Viv begins to discover the secrets of a hidden dragon language, she realizes that the fragile peace treaty that holds human and dragon societies together is corrupt, and the dangerous work Viv is doing could be the thread that unravels it. January 14 Lightfall (Everlands #1) — Ed Crocker (St. Martin’s)For centuries, vampires freely roamed the land until the Grays came out of nowhere, wiping out half the population in a night. The survivors fled to the last vampire city of First Light, where the rules are simple. If you’re poor, you drink weak blood. If you’re nobility, you get the good stuff. And you can never, ever leave. Palace maid Sam has had enough of these rules, and she’s definitely had enough of cleaning the bedpans of the lords who enforce them. When the son of the city’s ruler is murdered and she finds the only clue to his death, she seizes the chance to blackmail her way into a better class and better blood. She falls in with the Leeches, a group of rebel maids who rein in the worst of the Lords. Soon she’s in league with a sorcerer whose deductive skills make up for his lack of magic, a deadly werewolf assassin and a countess who knows a city’s worth of secrets. There’s just one problem. What began as a murder investigation has uncovered a vast conspiracy by the ruling elite, and now Sam must find the truth before she becomes another victim. If she can avoid getting murdered, she might just live forever. Those Fatal Flowers — Shannon Ives (Dell)Before, Scopuli. It has been centuries since Thelia made the mistake that cost her the woman she loved—Proserpina, the goddess of spring. As the handmaidens charged with protecting Proserpina when she was kidnapped, Thelia and her sisters are banished to the island of Scopuli and cursed to live as sirens—winged half-woman, half-bird creatures. In luring sailors to their deaths with an irresistible song, the sisters hope to gain favor from the gods who could free them. But then ships stop coming, and Thelia fears a fate worse than the Underworld. Just as time begins to run out, a voice emerges, Proserpina’s voice, and what she asks of Thelia will spark a dangerous quest for their freedom. Now, Roanoke. Thelia can’t bear to reflect on her last moments in Scopuli. After weeks drifting at sea alone, Thelia’s renewed human body—a result of her last devastating sacrifice on Scopuli—is close to death. Luckily, an unfamiliar island appears on the horizon: Roanoke. Posing as a princess arriving on a sailboat filled with riches, Thelia infiltrates the small English colony. It doesn’t take long for her to realize that this place is dangerous, especially for women. As she grows closer to a beautiful settler who mysteriously resembles her former love, Thelia formulates a plan to save her sisters and enact revenge on the violent men she’s come to despise. But is she willing to go back to Scopuli and face the consequences of her past decisions? And will Proserpina forgive her for all that she’s done? Waterblack (Cities of the Weft #3) — Alex Pheby (Tor Books)One thousand million infants are dead, and Nathan Treeves is back. He’s become the Master of Waterblack, the City of the Dead. And Sharli, once a sacrifice, then an assassin, is now a trained God-Killer. She has killed many—but failed in killing Nathan Treeves years ago. Soon she, and the Women’s Vanguard, will have another chance, even as The Master, The Mistress and the Atheistic Crusade hurtle toward their final confrontation. The world of Mordew returns in the epic conclusion to the Cities of the Weft trilogy. Welcome to Waterblack. Daughter of Chaos (Dark Pantheon #1) — A.S. Webb (MIRA)In ancient Greece, mortals suffer under the tyranny of the gods—forced to sacrifice the food they depend on, their worldly possessions and even each other at the whims of the Twelve. But an ancient prophecy speaks of hope, of one who will set humankind free. On the island of Naxos, Danae, a fisherman’s daughter, develops strange powers tied to a mysterious tree bearing golden fruit. Driven from her home, she seeks guidance from the oracle but finds only more questions… and whispers of a secret network of believers who have long been awaiting her arrival. Determined to learn more, Danae joins forces with the legendary Heracles and his crew. Together they battle monsters and gods alike on a quest to the end of the world as Danae seeks the one who holds the key to her destiny. But a terrifying truth is yet to be unlocked. A truth that could destroy the world as she knows it. Danae must choose to follow her destiny or her heart, while the fate of humanity rests on her shoulders. January 21 Motheater — Linda H. Codega (Erewhon)After her best friend dies in a coal mine, Benethea “Bennie” Mattox sacrifices her job, her relationship, and her reputation to uncover what’s killing miners on Kire Mountain. When she finds a half-drowned white woman in a dirty mine slough, Bennie takes her in because it’s right—but also because she hopes this odd, magnetic stranger can lead her to the proof she needs. Instead, she brings more questions. The woman called Motheater can’t remember her true name, or how she ended up inside the mountain. She knows only that she’s a witch of Appalachia, bound to tor and holler, possum and snake, with power in her hands and Scripture on her tongue. But the mystery of her fate, her doomed quest to keep industry off Kire Mountain, and the promises she bent and broke have followed her a century and half into the future. And now, the choices Motheater and Bennie make together could change the face of the town itself. The Teeth of Dawn (Five Penalties #3) — Marina Lostetter (Tor Books)After barely surviving their encounter with the Savior, who has shaped the rules and realities of Arkensyre for generations, Krona and the other members of the growing rebellion see only one chance of overcoming his power: free and enlist the ancient gods he caged to augment his own power. But it’s one thing to believe in gods. It is quite another to meet them. And it’s not only the Savior who wants to hold fast to the illusions that govern all the lives in the valley; the Grand Marquis, his agencies, and the elites of Arkensyre will do anything they can to snuff out change. To remake the world, first you must break it. The Rainfall Market — You Yeong-Gwang, tr. Slin Jung (Ace)On the outskirts of Rainbow Town, there is an old, abandoned house. They say that if you send a letter detailing your misfortunes there, you could receive a ticket. If you bring this ticket to the house on the first day of the rainy season, you’ll be granted entrance into the mysterious Rainfall Market—where you can choose to completely change your life. No one is more surprised than Serin when she receives a ticket. Lonely and with no real prospects for a future, Serin ventures to the market, determined to create a better life for herself. There, she meets a magical cat companion named Issha and they search through bookstores, perfumeries, and fantastical realms while Serin tries to determine what her perfect life will look like. The catch? Serin only has one week to find her happiness or be doomed to vanish into the market forever. And all the while, a shadow follows quietly behind them… January 28 The Outcast Mage (Shattered Lands #1) — Annabel Campbell (Orbit)In the glass city of Amoria, magic is everything. And Naila, student at the city’s legendary academy, is running out of time to prove she can control hers. If she fails, she’ll be forced into exile, relegated to a life of persecution with the other magicless hollows. Or worse, be consumed by her own power.  When a tragic incident further threatens her place at the Academy, Naila is saved by Haelius Akana, the most powerful living mage. Finding Naila a kindred spirit, Haelius stakes his position at the Academy on teaching her to harness her abilities. But Haelius has many enemies, and they would love nothing more than to see Naila fail. Trapped in the deadly schemes of Amoria’s elite, Naila must dig deep to discover the truth of her powers or watch the city she loves descend into civil war. For there is violence brewing on the wind, and greater powers at work. Ones who could use her powers for good… or destroy everything she’s ever known. At the Fount of Creation (Guardians of the Gods #2) — Tobi Ogundiran (Tordotcom Publishing)For four hundred years, the world’s remaining Orisha have fought to survive the rapaciousness of the soul-stealing Godkillers and the charismatic words of the singular, mysterious figure who leads them, known as the Teacher. Now they seek to kill the one person whose existence defies their very mandate. Ashâke carries within herself the spirits of the surviving Orisha, and she is on the hunt for allies who can help her defeat the encroaching army of Godkillers. But their influence is everywhere, and no one is immune—not even Ashâke. If she is to succeed, Ashâke will need to answer the question the Godkillers pose—are the Orisha even worth saving? The post All the New Fantasy Books Arriving in January 2025 appeared first on Reactor.

As many Democrats seek to use the California wildfires to push their “climate change” agenda, the Los Angeles Fire Department and locals say the city and state should instead prioritize saving as many lives and as much property as possible. “For us, it doesn’t get very political at all,” Los Angeles County Fire Department Public Information Officer Marco Rodriguez told The Daily Signal. Wildfires have ravaged Southern California since last Tuesday, forcing more than 150,000 residents to evacuate. As of Monday morning Pacific Time, the death toll from the fires had risen to 25, The Los Angeles Times reported. Some Democrats have been quick to blame the historically destructive wildfires on climate change. Firefighters, however, say their focus is on containment, public safety, and salvaging property. The debate is long over. Climate change is real. And it’s here.If we do not get our act together, what we are seeing now will only get worse. pic.twitter.com/VyA048vrRM— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) January 10, 2025 “Firefighters, you know, they’re looking at, ‘OK, do we have water? How fast is the wind? I mean, they’re looking at all that stuff like super-micro, rather than the bigger picture,” Rodriguez said. “Everybody that’s working here is just mainly focused on minimizing the impact of this fire, rather than worrying about stuff like that,” he continued. “We’ll leave that to our leaders, and they can discuss and try to come up with better ways to set us up in the future.” The L.A. Fire Department is focused on serving its community and getting it back to normal, Rodriguez added. “We can at least eliminate the threat of more loss, and no more loss of life,” he said. Former California Assemblyman Matt Gatto, a Democrat, said the politicization of the wildfires “[doesn’t] help a grieving public.” “This basin has burned since before there were cars,” Gatto told The Daily Signal. “And one of the worst wildfires was in the 1960s, before people talked about the concept of climate change.” “Is it possible that our weather patterns have changed year to year? And certainly our climate has? Sure,” he continued. “But the question for officials is: ‘What are you going to do about it?’ Climate change is not an excuse. It is not something that absolves our officials from good planning and good execution. So, I get very upset when I see people from either side of the aisle use these fires as a way to score political points.” “We need help. We need desperate help. The people need help,” Jacqueline Halpin, a mother of six who lost her home of 36 years in the Eaton wildfire, told The Daily Signal. “Make building permits easy to get. This is an unprecedented thing, and we need help. And we need leadership to step up and leave their ideology behind and help us.”Rebuilding the areas devastated by the fires will take years, Rodriguez said of Malibu and the Palisades. “This whole place will change.” The post ‘Not Political’: LA Fire Official Urges Focus on Saving Lives and Property, Not Climate Change appeared first on The Daily Signal.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. El Salvador has forged a partnership with video and cloud services provider Rumble, securing a deal that will supply the country with critical cloud computing infrastructure. Under this agreement, Rumble will deliver a range of services including data storage solutions, database management, load balancing capabilities, and remote application integration. The partnership followed a high-profile meeting in September between Rumble CEO Chris Pavlovski and Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, an event organized by Stacy Herbert, Director of El Salvador’s National Bitcoin Office. This agreement signifies not only technological advancement but also a clear stance on digital independence and resistance to centralized control by dominant tech conglomerates. Rumble’s CEO, Chris Pavlovski, emphasized the significance of this development, asserting, “This agreement marks a major milestone for Rumble, as it is clear that our infrastructure, capabilities, and dependability are suitable for governments to trust for their most important data and computing needs.” Pavlovski also highlighted the growing global demand for platforms that uphold freedom of expression, stating, “This is also just more proof that the world recognizes the importance of independence from Big Tech, as no one wants to risk being technologically silenced because an activist in Silicon Valley doesn’t like what you think or say. People and governments are now more and more aligned with the values of freedom and independence we maintain and protect at Rumble.” Stacy Herbert echoed these sentiments, reinforcing the alignment between El Salvador’s national values and Rumble’s mission. “El Salvador stands for freedom, innovation, and prosperity, and we are always looking at new frontiers. Like El Salvador, Rumble has also embraced and defended these ideals. It is natural for us to partner with them and we look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship,” Herbert remarked. Rumble Cloud, which entered the cloud computing industry in March of 2024, has been positioning itself as a neutral and competitive alternative to major tech giants. With a disruptive pricing model aimed at challenging the dominance of Amazon, Google, and Microsoft, Rumble is steadily gaining traction among those seeking platforms free from ideological influence and censorship pressures. This alliance with El Salvador could serve as a catalyst for other nations seeking to reclaim control over their digital infrastructure and safeguard free expression in the digital age. El Salvador’s latest move with Rumble is part of a broader strategy to rebrand itself as a hub for technological freedom and innovation. President Bukele’s administration has been actively pursuing policies that attract tech entrepreneurs, investors, and innovators by fostering an environment that values digital autonomy and free expression. This approach has already garnered international attention, particularly following the country’s historic adoption of Bitcoin as legal tender in 2021. By aligning with companies like Rumble, El Salvador is signaling its intent to challenge the dominance of traditional tech giants and to provide a safe haven for digital platforms committed to protecting free speech. This rebranding effort positions the country as a leader in advocating for decentralized technology solutions and greater sovereignty over digital infrastructure. Moreover, El Salvador’s commitment to tech freedom could attract a wave of startups and technology firms looking for supportive regulatory frameworks free from the overreach of global tech monopoly. If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post El Salvador Partners with Rumble to Strengthen Digital Sovereignty and Tech Innovation appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The way things stand right now, the shutting down of the US State Department’s disgraced Global Engagement Center (GEC) doesn’t appear to equate to the GEC actually being dismantled. Rather, the unit, notorious for its role in flagging social media posts during the outgoing administration, seems to have simply undergone a rebranding. Now, the State Department has the Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (R/FIMI) Hub. Matt Taibbi of the Twitter Files describes what happened here as an “absurd prank” that defies Congress, which moved to force the end of the GEC. One reason for this conclusion is the result of checking the former and the newly founded unit’s mission statements for any differences. And there are virtually none. The GEC Mission was officially, “To direct, lead, synchronize, integrate, and coordinate US Federal Government efforts to recognize, understand, expose, and counter foreign state and non-state propaganda and disinformation efforts aimed at undermining or influencing the policies, security, or stability of the United States, its allies, and partner nations.” And here’s what R/FIMI Hub is supposed to do: “To direct, lead, synchronize, integrate, and coordinate efforts of the Federal Government to recognize, understand, expose, and counter foreign state and non-state propaganda and disinformation efforts aimed at undermining or influencing the policies, security, or stability of the United States, its allies, and partner nations.” The difference between the two texts is R/FIMI Hub going for, “(…) efforts of the Federal Government” – rather than GEC’s “US Federal Government efforts.” Not only that – and the fact that this alleged focus on foreign threats turned into a smokescreen for going after online speech at home – R/FIMI Hub is also reportedly set to keep about 50 GEC staff, and continue to be funded, as before, with just under $30 million via grants and contracts. Shuttering the GEC was a cause championed by Congress Republicans through a number of investigations, essentially suspecting that its role was to facilitate, through obfuscation, what is otherwise illegal government involvement in censorship. They are now, even though coming to power at all levels, presented with a case that illustrates the functioning of what many of them like to call “the deep state” – a permanent power structure underlying elected ones, where a brazen “rebrand” of this kind can happen right in front of everyone. Former GEC staff are reportedly planning to carry on their work, dispersed across the State Department, thus creating the illusion of the unit being disbanded, but with R/FIMI Hub seemingly envisaged as just that – a hub for their continued activities. The activities included the GEC teaming up with third parties like the Global Disinformation Index that would “score” content for advertisers, to the detriment of conservative media. If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post The Rebranding of a Censorship Unit appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The Detroit Pistons, enjoying one of their most competitive seasons in years, are embracing a digital transformation with a partnership with ID.me, a company specializing in biometric ID verification and digital identity wallets. This move reflects a growing trend in professional sports, where teams are adopting digital identity tools under the guise of enhancing fan experience but also expanding the use of biometric systems in everyday activities. More: Biometric Entry For Major League Baseball Games is Becoming More Prevalent Through this collaboration, the Pistons will deploy ID.me’s technology to streamline services for their community, including season ticket holders, loyalty program members, and groups like teachers, nurses, and military personnel. According to the Pistons, biometric verification will ensure that benefits, tickets, and exclusive offers reach actual fans rather than being snatched up by bots and scalpers. “ID.me is thrilled to help Detroit Pistons fans access tickets and special offers in a more secure, frictionless way,” said Taylor Liggett, chief growth officer at ID.me. He emphasized how digital identity wallets combat increasingly sophisticated fraud attempts by bad actors in the ticketing market. Adam Falkson, Vice President of Business Intelligence for the Pistons, framed the partnership as a response to evolving threats. “Like most industries, the risk and sophistication around fraud continues to be a threat and a challenge,” he said. Falkson added that the shared vision with ID.me is to protect customers while enhancing services in a secure and gated manner. However, critics have noted that the growing adoption of digital ID systems in sports goes beyond ticket security, potentially normalizing the use of biometrics in everyday transactions. Sports franchises are increasingly positioning biometric verification as essential for modern fan experiences, extending its use to concessions, merchandise, alcohol purchases, and VIP access. ID.me, which has recently seen a surge in partnerships, views sports as a fertile ground for advancing its technology. The adoption of these systems aligns with the industry’s broader trend of integrating biometrics into live events, framing it as a way to “strengthen fan relationships” and streamline services. While the Detroit Pistons and ID.me tout the convenience and security of such systems, the broader implications of tying everyday activities to biometric verification risks the growth of a checkpoint society. If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post Detroit Pistons Partner with Digital ID Company to Implement Biometric Verification appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. This content is available exclusively to supporters of Reclaim The Net Subscribe for premier reporting on free speech, privacy, Big Tech, media gatekeepers and individual liberty online. Subscribe Already a supporter? Login If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post How Digital ID Laws Are Killing Online Privacy and People Are Fighting Back appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

Meow, Meow, Hiss - The Fashion Cats Come Out to Fight