Earlier in the day, Vance attended the swearing-in of senators at the U.S. Capitol.Vice President-elect JD Vance underwent a planned surgery after attending the kickoff to the new Congress, according…

The Biden team is going out in their final days they way they've governed: being absolutely shameless, and never answering on their obligation to the American people.  Advertisement Joe Biden handed…

Greenland’s Prime Minister Mute Egede. Incoming President Donald J. Trump has several times now manifested his intention of making Greenland part of the United States, stating that control and ownership…

Parker McCollum is going back to his roots. Last year, The Gold Chain Cowboy informed fans that he was in the studio commencing work on his fifth studio album. In March, McCollum shared a bold statement that he feels like the music he's working on is as good as The Limestone Kid, the Texas native's debut record. McCollum fans hold that record near and dear to their heart as he belted out unapologetic lyrics and wore his heart on his sleeve, embracing his Texas country roots. While I don't think McCollum has shifted away from that, when you rise in fame, naturally, you're going to have people who believe you've "changed," leading some fans to feel like he lost himself in the later record after The Limestone Kid. But, once Parker McCollum threw that album title out when talking about his new music, it perked fans' ears. "Studio tomorrow. Crazy to be recording my 5th studio album. I know for 100% fact that these songs and this record is best I’ve put together since the kid. Took me a long time to get back to this place as a songwriter. Feels good to be happy about my songs again." https://twitter.com/ParkerMcCollum/status/1770283907369320476?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1770283907369320476%7Ctwgr%5Ec8bfcd720de70c5ed26e19196bcd288991a2b7e2%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.whiskeyriff.com%2F2024%2F03%2F20%2Fthis-record-is-the-best-ive-put-together-parker-mccollum-says-his-5th-studio-album-is-in-the-works%2F At the end of April, a little over a month after he announced that he was beginning the new record, McCollum gave fans an update. He still believes that his record features some of his best work. "Sitting in the studio right now. Half way done with this new album. I’d put these songs up against anything I’ve ever written. Very proud of them. Hope you guys will love them." https://twitter.com/ParkerMcCollum/status/1785376125885010067?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1785376125885010067%7Ctwgr%5E49880189c696b6291aab68c2e0761718fcaf841a%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.whiskeyriff.com%2F2024%2F04%2F30%2Fid-put-these-songs-up-against-anything-ive-ever-written-parker-mccollum-shares-update-on-5th-studio-album%2F While McCollum has not given a release date for the record, some fans hoped it would drop before the end of 2024. Given that McCollum was recently promoted to Dad, I assumed he was doing the heavy lifting on the record at first so that when his son, Major, made his debut, he could sit back for a little bit and enjoy his time as a father. However, this break between album updates and getting settled into his role as a parent has left fans wondering when new music is coming or if he still feels like this collection of songs will take fans back to The Limestone Kid days. Thankfully, our hero, Hallie Ray, Parker's wife, shared an update on a recent Instagram post that the record fully embodies the feeling of The Kid. McCollum shared a post after his final shows of 2024, noting that he's looking forward to what 2025 has in store. "OKC and Little Rock, thank you for bringing the heat this weekend! Felt damn good to be back at it! 2025 bout to go crazy." https://www.instagram.com/p/DELJbYySsoR/?img_index=1 One fan commented on the post that The Limestone Kid is back. Hallie Ray responded to the fan, noting that he was right on the money with that statement. "Wait till you hear the new album. The Kid is 100% back."  Boys, we are so back if this statement is true. I hope we get this new record this year and, hopefully, a single or two soon to preview what is in store. Fire up "High Above The Water" while you're here. Nothing hits like this tune. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zP25pBJUy6M

Sometimes a person opens their mouth to sing, and magic happens. It's hard to pinpoint exactly what qualities make a voice transcend the average and transfix an audience, but we know it when we hear it. Enter Shawn Louisiana.A video of him singing in a barbershop has gone viral and it's definitely worth a watch. He wrote on YouTube, "The older guy didn't think I could pull off a Sam Cooke song," but when he started singing "A Change is Gonna Come," he definitely proved that he could. Really well. Like, whoa.Watch: The older guy didn't think I could pull off a Sam Cooke song #achangegonnacome www.youtube.com There's a reason that video has gotten nearly 7 million views on TikTok alone.Louisiana frequently shares videos of himself just singing casually for the camera, and I don't understand why this man's talent is not more well known yet. I mean, just listen to this "Stand By Me" cover. Like butter. Sing me to sleep, sir. Stand By Me - Ben E. King cover #tiktok www.youtube.com His Instagram account says he's available to book for weddings. That's nice, but someone please get this man a record deal so we can listen to him croon all day. For more from Shawn Louisiana, follow him on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. This article originally appeared four years ago.

Madalyn Parker wanted to take a couple days off work. She didn't have the flu, nor did she have plans to be on a beach somewhere, sipping mojitos under a palm tree. Parker, a web developer from Michigan, wanted a few days away from work to focus on her mental health.Parker lives with depression. And, she says, staying on top of her mental health is absolutely crucial. "The bottom line is that mental health is health," she says over email. "My depression stops me from being productive at my job the same way a broken hand would slow me down since I wouldn't be able to type very well."She sent an email to her colleagues, telling them the honest reason why she was taking the time off."Hopefully," she wrote to them, "I'll be back next week refreshed and back to 100%."Soon after the message was sent, the CEO of Parker's company wrote back:"Hey Madalyn,I just wanted to personally thank you for sending emails like this. Every time you do, I use it as a reminder of the importance of using sick days for mental health — I can't believe this is not standard practice at all organizations. You are an example to us all, and help cut through the stigma so we can all bring our whole selves to work." \u201cWhen the CEO responds to your out of the office email about taking sick leave for mental health and reaffirms your decision. \ud83d\udcaf\u201d — madalyn (@madalyn) 1498854569 Moved by her CEO's response, Parker posted the email exchange to Twitter.The tweet, published on June 30, 2017, has since gone viral, amassing 45,000 likes and 16,000 retweets."It's nice to see some warm, fuzzy feelings pass around the internet for once," Parker says of the response to her tweet. "I've been absolutely blown away by the magnitude though. I didn't expect so much attention!"Even more impressive than the tweet's reach, however, were the heartfelt responses it got."Thanks for giving me hope that I can find a job as I am," wrote one person, who opened up about living with panic attacks. "That is bloody incredible," chimed in another. "What a fantastic CEO you have."Some users, however, questioned why there needs to be a difference between vacation time and sick days; after all, one asked, aren't vacations intended to improve our mental well-being?That ignores an important distinction, Parker said — both in how we perceive sick days and vacation days and in how that time away from work is actually being spent."I took an entire month off to do partial hospitalization last summer and that was sick leave," she wrote back. "I still felt like I could use vacation time because I didn't use it and it's a separate concept."Many users were astounded that a CEO would be that understanding of an employee's mental health needs.They were even more surprised that the CEO thanked her for sharing her personal experience with caring for her mental health.After all, there's still a great amount of stigma associated with mental illness in the workplace, which keeps many of us from speaking up to our colleagues when we need help or need a break to focus on ourselves. We fear being seen as "weak" or less committed to our work. We might even fear losing our job.Ben Congleton, the CEO of Parker's company, Olark, even joined the conversation himself.In a blog post on Medium, Congleton wrote about the need for more business leaders to prioritize paid sick leave, fight to curb the stigma surrounding mental illness in the workplace, and see their employees as people first."It's 2017. We are in a knowledge economy. Our jobs require us to execute at peak mental performance," Congleton wrote. "When an athlete is injured, they sit on the bench and recover. Let's get rid of the idea that somehow the brain is different."This article originally appeared eight years ago.

Everything one could ask for. The post The one band Henry Rollins thought were “utterly genius” first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

Is it too much to ask for a little gratitude? America, a declining superpower thanks to the indifferent and self-serving ministrations of a corpulent elite, is still great. Not as great as she was. Not as great as she can be again, but great enough that everyone who wants to be anything wants to come here to make something of themselves. Great enough that even people like Elon Musk want to come here. Not Canada. Not rape-gang Britain. Not energy-depleted Europe. Not commie China. Not caste-class India. The one and only United States of America. Last week, I spoke about how America is a fertile soil that geniuses from around the world come to. They grow, they get rich, and eventually, the United States military-industrial complex commandeers the technology for strategic purposes and the simple billionaires become hundreds of billionaires. American taxpayers, you know, those retarded people who buy electric vehicles, subscribe to Starlink, and use X, make one very, very, very rich. (READ MORE: Elon Musk v. MAGA: H-1B Visas, Foreign Workers, Big Tech, and America First) Again, I ask, is it too much to expect one of those billionaires to show a smidgeon of gratitude toward those retards? After I wrote my piece, I saw a video in which a comedian I had never heard of, Sam Hyde, made the same points but with humor: Dear Elon: pic.twitter.com/lVIGstj99o — Sam Hyde (@wigger) December 31, 2024 America is unique. It is special. It is the shining city on the hill, or was, until our elites, both Left and Right, squandered her vitality and depleted her strength. Even so, everyone, especially terrorists, is eager to come to America and is lining up to do so. An Interlude About Rape Gangs in Britain Rape gangs, something that’s been going on in Britain pretty much unmolested since the early 2000s, are suddenly in the news. Elon needed a diversion. Trump needed a diversion. It had to be something so big, scary, and offensive that it would take the spotlight off of Americans who’d just been offended by Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk’s oopsie-daisy unintended truth reveal. Not even weirdly similar terrorist attacks (that the FBI assures us are unrelated) could change the narrative. But, thanks to Elon’s laser focus on the issue, British rape gangs have done just that. He even posted pro-Tommy Robinson content that has all the right weak British people angry. Britain has freely roaming rape gangs because they don’t have free speech (and also because they’re moral cowards). In Britain, free speech doesn’t exist. There are a whole host of laws that protect the feelings and image of the monarchy. There are speech laws based on hurting feelings. The society is classist to its very bones. The news media is mostly state-sponsored. All the former glory of many European countries diminished in direct proportion to the immigration allowed from the third world. Being an ever-so-polite and passive people, the Brits kept a stiff upper lip, took their daughters’ rapes with quiet equanimity, and went to the pub to wash down their shame. This might be an oversimplification. The elites in Britain, like the elites in America, destroyed their own country’s culture for reasons that don’t make sense at all except for this one: foreign populations are easier to control, natural-born populations have expectations of their government, and the foreign-born can be used to control them. America is on its way to doing the same thing. American elites like cheap labor, yes. They like mammon more than their own citizens. They view people as widgets and interchangeable parts to serve their purpose. It’s psychopathic, heartless, and inhumane. They don’t care. They care about power, control, and their own wealth creation, or in the case of the government employees, grift. In Biden’s case, he’s probably enriched his family to sell out America to the Chinese and cartels running Mexico. Elites in America, enter Musk and Ramaswamy, don’t think much of their fellow Americans. Lazy retards was it? This attitude, this dehumanization, must exist in order to do the sorts of things they’ve done — like importing cheap foreign labor by the thousands, destroying the culture, stealing jobs from Americans, and then showing utter contempt for the people upset that their livelihoods and lifestyle and all the things that mean being American are destroyed. Back to America and Free Speech There’s a reason that America’s Founders created a different set of laws in America. The corruption in Britain didn’t begin yesterday. Some of it was baked into the cake with their speech code. A reminder: Amendment I Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. Why are all these rights listed in the First Amendment? Because they’re critical. Let’s break down how the First Amendment has been whittled away and resulted in an empowered state. The state created the Woke Religion, its central tenet being Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. This insanity pervades every government and private sector edifice, impairs free speech, and has ever-changing sacraments to keep everyone off balance. There is no redemption or transcendence. There’s only struggle, division, and cultural chaos. Because the government and private sector are controlled by this religion, any speech against it is strictly forbidden. Any criticism is stopped by one outcry, “RACISM!” Using the Christian’s inherent regard for people as individuals against them, an accusation of racism stifles all critiques, all nuanced argument, and all searches for meaningful solutions. This tactic was ineffectively used by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to stifle dissent against their embrace of U.S. cheap labor policies dressed up in HB1 visas. To enforce speech codes, Elon Musk uses his X algorithm to censor, suppress, or ban those who disagree with him. So he prohibits free speech against his personal bugaboos, and they nicely line up with the rest of elite speech codes. The FBI surveilled people in church. They arrested protestors outside of abortion clinics for praying. And harassed people peacefully assembling or jailed them. The people in question were violating the state religion, disagreeing in one of the chief sacraments, aka abortion, and the state punished them. The MAGA movement hates all of these things and recognized what is happening. America is slipping away, and they want to reestablish the foundation and shore it up. It is not a far slip from losing free speech to having rape gangs. In America, it’s Hamas-sponsored intifada on the streets of our cities. Tribal immigrants using the free-speech codes of America to maraud and be vicious racists while honest Americans are arrested for praying outside abortion clinics. See how this works? See how insidious this is? And see how the elites, including Musk and Ramaswamy, create the problem with their worldview and policies? America First America has a culture. It’s Christian. It’s rooted in the rule of law and fairness. Freedom of religion, speech, the press, and assembly is essential to our liberty. American culture is rooted in rugged individualism coupled with charitable community care. Americans are responsible, hard-working, forgiving people. They’re kind and generous. These “retards” need to be treated with respect — or should they just shut up and accept the rape gangs, too? Remember the old saying, “The solution to bad speech is more speech”? That needs to be brought back. Control the bots, sure, but let real people speak even if they say offensive things. That’s American. Or, it used to be. The American people are counting on Trump to destroy the state-sponsored religion. They’re counting on him to restore equality under the law. They’re counting on him to take the tyrants head-on and take the boot off the necks of the American people. The speech codes, excessive regulations, inflation, and uneven application of the law are harming America and creating division and distrust. There’s a strange self-loathing that the elites in America specifically, and the West generally, have for their own countries. It’s explained thusly: Just as Karl Marx was a worthless trust-fund kid and felt ashamed at his unworthy largess, many of the elites in America know that they’re unworthy of the wealth they enjoy. They haven’t earned it. Their internal self-loathing is painted on their environment around them. They have no real problems, so they seek problems to solve to give their own hollow lives meaning. They don’t believe in God — there is no room in their self-view for God. Their wealth and power give them an outsized ability to force those in their orbit to conform to their worldview. They feel omnipotent until someone challenges them. Then, publicly embarrassed and enraged, they lash out. These folks are dangerous, indeed. They believe they are smarter than everyone else and deserve to force others to do their bidding. The brilliance of one billionaire does not outweigh the beauty of one truly free man. Both are the same before God. Both deserve respect. Perhaps the free man hasn’t made a satellite, but then Elon Musk hasn’t either. With a team of free men and women, he’s made many amazing things. He did it in a free country with free people. Teams of engineers create his visions and make them a reality. He is an amazing CEO. The stories of his problem-solving are legendary. He’s astonishingly intelligent. This is all true. But he is one free man working with other free men and women. Americans deserve respect and gratitude for what they’ve created. They have a right to a preserved culture. Without that culture, there are no Elon Musks. Without the culture, America is just another third-world country divided over tribal hatreds brought by psychopathic self-serving elites and unassimilated hordes. MORE from Melissa Mackenzie: Elon Musk v. MAGA: H-1B Visas, Foreign Workers, Big Tech, and America First Matt Gaetz: Ditching Justice in Service to Petty Hatreds The Spectacle Ep. 177: Mainstream Media: The Government’s Puppet The post Elon Musk and Rape Gangs appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.